


(working title)  Loki & Annie

by Daywriter106



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - Brothers, Angst and Humor, Asgardian Culture (Marvel), Asgardian Loki (Marvel), Asgardian Magic (Marvel), Betrayal, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Child Abuse, Clint Barton Needs a Hug, Comfort/Angst, Evil Odin (Marvel), F/M, Female Character of Color, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Injury Recovery, Kid Loki (Marvel), Little Brothers, Loki & Tony Stark Friendship, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Male Character of Color, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Odin (Marvel)'s Bad Parenting, Parent Frigga (Marvel), Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Older Brothers, Protective Sam Wilson, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Strong Female Characters, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:40:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 42
Words: 159,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25702957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daywriter106/pseuds/Daywriter106
Summary: Loki is returned to Asgard to face Odin's punishment. However his violence at being unable to speak in his defense causes Odin to turn him into a child. After all, its much easier to take a child to torture than an adult.Politics between Asgard and Earth lead to the Avengers being unwilling to hide Loki which devastates Thor. He turns to someone else to help the two of them which may lead to a second chance for the brothers.However S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't believe Loki deserves a second chance. And Asgard has its own plans.And Annie doesn't care about anything but her kid.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 306
Kudos: 244





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, please comment on what you think about this chapter. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the interaction between the characters.  
> If you can comment at the end I will reply back to you.  
> Thanks!  
> DayWriter106

Loki had been brought into the palace in chains and a muzzle thanks to Thor. His anger on Midgard had boiled to a raging fury. He had expected to have the chains and muzzle removed after arriving via Bifrost, he had turned to Thor in expectation of it. However he had been rudely grabbed and drug out to waiting horses, not even his mount but a simple royal nag. His humiliation at being paraded through the streets had burned his cheeks like a fever, the people had been shocked.

Thor had yanked him through the halls, not even allowing him the courtesy of bathing and changing out of his filthy clothes before forcing him to enter in before Odin. Other than a troop of guards there was no one else in the massive throne room. Loki refused to bow or show a shred of respect to this man who had dared to lead him to believe there had ever been blood bonds between them. It was Thor's hand on a shoulder and knee pressing into the back of a thigh that forced him to his knees.

Finally Odin turned an eye to Thor. "Did he fight against returning with you?"

Thor shook his head, "He returned willingly. With no struggle."

Loki twisted his shoulder and head to dislodge Thor's hand from its resting place on the back of his neck. He tried to rise to his feet and Thor stepped on his pant leg to prevent him.

Odin turned his attention back to Loki. He stared while several expressions quickly crossed is face. Finally he spoke. "Loki, your punishment has already been decided. You will be removed to the dungeons until I see fit to decide otherwise." Odin motioned the guards forward.

Thor stepped forward, his confusion obvious on his face. "Father? How long will -"

Loki was no under no such confusion. He had already spent time in Odin's dungeons for various reasons over his youth. He knew that this time it would not be on the first level where maids would be slipped into his privete cell in exchange for coin. He knew what the lower levels were like even if Thor didn't. They had been one of the first forbidden places he had gone when he had perfected his invisibility spells.

Loki rose to his feet in one, long, graceful move. Despite his hands being chained and contained in the binding cuffs, his legs and feet were free. It was a mistake. Loki was swift and moved with cunning ease that the larger guards simply couldn't match. He used it to his favor for as long as he could. He had no false belief that he would win. He simply wanted to strike out. To let his rage and violence free. To pummel something. Someone. To vent his frustration at once more being voiceless. Powerless to be heard in a world where everyone else was listened to. At being weak in a world of Thor's.

He heard Odin's voice, loud, commanding. The power echoing. "Loki! Control yourself!" But if he did not get to speak, then he would not listen either.

He held his own, by the time he was overpowered there were more guards on the floor than standing. Of course it was Thor who finally brought him down with a massive arm wrapped around his throat from behind and choked him until he saw through a dark tunnel. He couldn't pull enough oxygen in through his nose, the muzzle did more than block his words. His mind flashed to other times he had struggled to breathe, the times he had been held under fluids until he had been forced to gasp, taking often times burning liquids into his lungs. The times the Other had crushed his chest until he no longer had the strength to force it to rise and he slowly suffocated. 

His fingers desperately scratched at Thor's forearms, he didn't have the strength. Again. Too weak. Finally he gave the signal from their youth when they had wrestled, a tap on the shoulder, an acceptance of defeat. The pressure wavered for just a moment then continued and Loki felt himself slip away into the darkness.

Thor had seen Loki's hand rise and weakly signal surrender. For just a breath he had thought of releasing his brother then thought of all the times he had fallen for Loki's tricks and decided that it was better to continue. Better to be safe than a fool. Once he felt all the fight go out of his brothers body he unclasped his arm and gently let Loki slide to the floor. He watched for and was relieved when he saw the first ragged breath Loki pulled in. There had been the slightest worry that he had gone too far but he should have known better, this was Loki.

The remaining guards came over and roughly grabbed Loki under the arms and pulled him to his knees, prepared to drag him from the room. They were rough men, chosen for their ability to work daily in the confines of the darkness among those that the King chose to punish himself.

"Have care." Thor's voice was low yet commanding. "That's still a Prince of Asgard you have in your common hands."

There was a hesitation then the hands slowly lifted Loki and draped lank arms over their shoulders. They moved carefully across the floor and out the door. Once beyond the golden doors they moved with purpose down the palace halls. Servants and nobles alike moved aside for them, the sight of an unconscious Prince, muzzled and being carried by known guards of the dungeon caused eyes to go wide. 

The Prince's actions on Midgard was well known, however so was the contempt that the AllFather held for the mortals. Midgard had been left to grow wild and uncivilized so no one had thought anything of Loki's actions. If he wished to carve out a place for himself then as a younger son it was best he chose some faraway realm rather than attempting to take over one of the other Nine. Perhaps this punishment was for not having asked the AllFather's permission first...

Entering the dungeons the Captain of the guard sauntered forward. He looked at the bloodied faces of his men then reached forward and grabbed a handful of Loki's back hair and wrenched his head back. There wasn't a mark on him though there was slight bruising around his throat from Thor's hold. Captain Reapt glared at his men who didn't meet his eyes.

Loki's eyes fluttered, he had been becoming aware of being moved. Now he tried to focus on the blurry face in front of him. He recognized it slowly. Captain Reapt. They had sparred in the lists occasionally. Loki found the man slow and lumbering but a man of stamina. Loki could toy with the man for hours before becoming bored. 

"Welcome to my training ground, your Highness." Reapt smiled cruelly, he already had his orders. The Prince would learn of them soon enough and then his lessons would begin. Letting Loki's head flop back down Reapt grabbed a cloth bag and gave an abrupt motion to move on.

They continued down the hallways, twisting and turning. Through first one then another locked door. Down one set of steps, another doorway, another hall. The lights getting farther and farther apart, the cells getting smaller and less controlled by technology. More stairs, these turning, growing narrower, older, damper. Finally they arrived in a short, empty hallway that was stone, lit by the flames of torches, the doors controlled by a key. 

The door was opened. Reapt opened the bag and pulled out a thin collar, it was several strands of what appeared to be dark metal, twisted in intricate patterns. Placed along the inside were several cleverly hidden barbs. A binding spell had been cast into it as it had been forged. There was no escaping this magic suppressor, it had been crafted years ago for Loki when he had been sent to the dungeon for his first punishment. The AllFather had no intention of Loki using his magic to pass the time and make his punishment pleasant.

The collar was roughly shoved around Loki's neck, it moved then the strands seamlessly came together. At first glance it looked like a serpent, one would think the head out of view at the back of Loki's neck. However there was no head, just an endless body.

The crude in comparison cuffs around his hands were removed as were all his chains. With a sharp motion of his hand Reapt ordered, "Strip 'em."

The guards grabbed arms and legs, pulling his boots off while unbuckling and pulling at his leathers. Loki roused himself enough to fight them, getting kicks and punches for his troubles. There was one guard who in the fight swiftly slammed Loki's head into the stone wall, it stunned him enough that he was rapidly down to his thin under tunic and leather pants.

As Loki was carelessly tossed into the cell to land on the damp stone floor one of the guards asked, "Sir? Should he be unchained? You must expect him to fight when we come back to fetch him."

Reapt again grinned, "Oh, I'm hoping for it, lad."

Once the door slammed shut Loki rolled over, allowing himself a faint groan. He pushed his hair back, wiping at the blood that ran down into his left eye from the gash on his head from where he hit the wall. He hissed in pain, he hated head wounds, they disturbed his thoughts.

He tugged on the muzzle, still firmly locked. It was then he felt the collar around his neck and growled. He knew it was there but feeling it always gave him a jolt of memories. He shoved them away, especially the first ones that were of a child's terror and staggered to his feet. He was no child. Catching himself against the wall he looked around, letting his anger rise.

The cell was one he had never been in, in truth he had never been this far down in the dungeon. Probably not even on the last several levels. There was a burning torch directly across from his door but little light filtered in. Thankfully his eyes were able to see in the darkness, he grunted at the knowledge of why he had always been able to see better in the dark than anyone else. It had been another oddity that had set him apart in his youth, always attributed to his gift of magic. Now he knew better.

Looking around he saw that the cell contained a stone bench, meant for both sitting and sleeping it appeared since there was no actual bed. With his height being closer to seven feet, he would hang nearly halfway off. A crude seat in a corner served as a toilet, there was no washing basin. There was nothing else in the cell. Loki spent hours searching, block by block. Every slight weakness noted and filed away.

It was nearly ten hours later when he heard the far door open and the sound of booted feet coming closer. Loki stood, he had spent the last hours of his time sitting on the stone bench, leaning against the damp wall. Letting his anger keep him warm. Now he faced the door, rising on his toes. He could fight just as well barefooted as in boots. The pain would feed his fight.

Once the door opened it was clear that the guards were prepared. They came in carrying practice shields from the lists. Loki raised an eyebrow, his disdain clear. It made no difference to him, the shields would only become weapons in his hands.

In the small cell he used the guards numbers against them. They couldn't attack freely without endangering their fellow guards while Loki had no such concern. Everyone he touched was his enemy. He struck without regard for the damage, all sharp elbows and crushing knees. Long fingers that poked out eyes and arms that snapped necks. Shields that were meant to protect turned into wooden splinters that speared.

By the time he leapt through the open door the far door was being slammed shut and locked. Bodies were left behind and Loki drug them out of his cell into the hallway. He piled them in front of the door because he knew they would be back.

Two days went by with no return of anyone. The torches had burned out. The bodies had begun to turn, the smell didn't bother Loki, he was used to much worse that was found on battlefields. Odin had made sure no son of his would be a disgrace and had both Thor and Loki hardened against all sorts of smells before ever setting foot on a field of death. Hardened against sights and sounds as well.

Even the constant vigilance wasn't more than what Loki was able to cope with. What was wearing at him was all of it at once. The anger and rage having burned through him. He could go without sleep for long periods of time but he had already gone without for so very long. He couldn't even remember the last time he had actually slept rather than been rendered unconscious. Without access to his magic his wounds were not healing properly, he struggled to breathe from wounds suffered from Midgard. The lack of water, he could do without food, but the muzzle had a tongue depressor in it that was constantly slicing his mouth. It was never meant to be left on for long periods of time. The constant flow of blood in his mouth and down his throat was making him burn with thirst.

His mind was the worst torment. He had too much time to think. To remember. To know that even as deeply buried as he was it was but a little thing for the Titan to find him. Loki had failed and failed in a spectacularly obvious way. He had not only failed to get the stone he had been sent to retrieve but had lost the one he had been entrusted with. It was only a matter of time now.

He heard the scratching of a key in the lock and pulled himself to his full height. But first, before the Titan, there was this business to attend to. He watched from the dark as the door was unlocked and an attempt made to push it open. There were bodies piled in front of it so it took several hard shoves to clear the door enough to pass a torch through and allow a guard to crouch down enough to attempt to peer inside.

Loki heard quiet voices then saw more shoulders work at shoving the door open. As it slowly inched open the bodies were pushed back with long wooden staffs until finally the door was fully able to open. After a moment Reapt stepped in, he took a torch and threw it down the length of the short hall.

The torch landed near Loki, his eyes had had time to adjust slightly to the light though he still squinted after several days in the dark. He knew what was coming. It had always been coming. 

Reapt spoke. "Well your highness. Ready to go and face your kings punishment?"

Loki gave a grunt. He waved a dismissive hand in a come hither motion. Come and get me, whoreson.

Reapt motioned and guardsmen poured in the hallway. They kept coming past Reapt. A half dozen, a dozen, more and more. And they continued to fill the small space.

Loki prepared himself. Arms held out he moved first. He flowed, graceful, filling the smallest of spaces that no other could fill. Grunts and groans, the sounds of wet crunches and bodies slumping slightly, held up by the crush of other bodies only to slip down as more guards were felled.

But even Loki couldn't make too great of an inroad simply because there was no room. He couldn't swing because he was crushed under the weight of the bodies. His breath was pressed out of him. Again his vision narrowed except this time he couldn't tell, the hall was already so dark. All he knew was that he couldn't breathe and the torchlight faded.Finally he became aware of heavy chains binding his arms and legs and being dragged to Reapt.

"Looks like I have fetched the Prince quite nicely." He gave a twisted sneer. "Lets get started, you've two days to make up."

By the time Loki was brought back to the cell it only took two guards. He was drug down the newly cleaned hall though the blood had simply been washed down drains with buckets of filthy water. Once tossed onto the floor of his cell, the door was locked and he was left in the dark. 

It took a long time but Loki was able to crawl to the stone bench then pull himself onto it. He laid on his side, raising his knees to his chest as he carefully settled into counting his breaths. He had long ago learned that counting a the same pace, over and over helped him slip away while letting him know if the pain was coming faster or slowing. The pain of the beating he took had dulled but occasionally it would flare. He would focus on counting through it, not changing his pace in the slightest. Breaths becoming so shallow that he would see tiny burst of lights behind his eyelids. Like being in a little Bifrost. He didn't panic when he couldn't get enough air in his lungs, he let himself slip into welcome darkness.

By the next day when they came to unlock his cell door he was once more standing. Waiting for the rush of guards. Once more guards went down before Loki did. They still had his voice but he refused to let them take his violence. It was all he had left.

Eight months later

Reapt stood before Odin in the kings private office, eyes resting to the side of the AllFather as he waited for his king to finish reading the latest reports on the Prince. It read as all the previous reports except in the number of guards maimed. The number was down slightly but there were also less guards eager to face the duty.

Odin looked up and Reapt's eyes snapped to him. Finally the king spoke. "The prisoner has shown no sign of repentance?"

"Repentance, Sire?" The Captain scoffed. "Hardly. He's worse on this day that the first. I would describe him as having gone mad." At the king's raised eyebrow Reapt swallowed hard. "Or at the very least, feral, Sire. No matter how hard the whip is laid on he eventually recovers enough to fight. Sometimes its in his cell when he's being taken out. Other times its when he's being transferred. Or even while being disciplined. He's a crafty one."

"He is still muzzled?" Odin's voice is sharp.

"As you so ordered, Sire. It hasn't been touched."

Odin sat thoughtfully, his one eye staring into a sight only he could see. It made Reapt uncomfortable and he again looked away so he was rather startled when Odin abruptly stood. Taking Gungnir in hand the king moved forward. The Captain moved aside then moved to follow his king out of the room and through the palace walls. He quickly understood they were going to the dungeons and he felt his interest peak as his heart leapt. The King had never been in the dungeons during Reapt's tenure and he was proud of what he had accomplished over the years.

Guards snapped to attention in disbelief, many never having been this close to their King before. As they began their decent to the lower levels Odin changed from robes to his more sturdy leathers, no need to soil his golden robes in the prison filth. The magic drew gasps of amazement from guards and prisoners alike as they watched the transformation.

When Reapt finally led the AllFather by torchlight to Loki's door there were several additional guards following. The door was unlocked and Reapt went to push it open however Odin stopped him with a hand held out.

Using magic Odin pushed the door back into the dark cell. There was the quietest whisper of movement from inside the cell when Odin flung his hand out with a burst of light and lit up the interior. 

Startled, Reapt and the guards took a step back then peered over Odin's shoulder. What they saw left them with mouths hanging slightly open.

An orb of light hung inside the cell above the door, lighting the scene. Loki was held in the center of the cell, several feet off the ground, arms out, back painfully arched. Over the months his under tunic had been shredded off him, leaving him only in leathers that were caked in blood and filth. They hung low off bony hips. His hair and body was covered in layers blood and grime, the paleness of what little skin showing made even more startling. Ribs and bones protruded but it was his eyes that held Odin's gaze.

The light was blinding Loki after being in the dark, tears streamed from them as he fought to see. He struggled to understand what was happening, how he was being restrained. He felt something familiar. He had been once more prepared to attack as soon as the door opened. A reflex. He could move today, he would take advantage of it even if all he could do was use his long nails to scratch.

"Loki?" Odin's voice was quiet. He allowed Loki to gently settle on the floor, releasing him.

Loki felt the floor under himself. He heard the voice but couldn't believe it. Odin? Odin had come to his cell? For him? Was he going to finally allow Loki to speak? To explain? Loki had no pride left, he would tell all. He would tell everything. He had to be heard. His own thoughts were driving him mad. 

He thought fighting back would force his captors to remove the muzzle. That they would want to hear his screams to gain satisfaction in revenge for the death and injury of their comrades. However they had their orders. The muzzle was to remain on.

Odin watched as Loki slowly crouched then raised up a hand as though blocking the light. He moved forward on bent legs until with his other hand he felt Odin's boots. Slowly he raised his hand until they both were in the air as he looked upwards. Odin stared down at the man on his knees below him. He looked in the eyes, they begged for forgiveness. For one more chance to speak. The eyes of the Trickster. The God of Lies.

Slowly Odin leaned down while placing a firm hand on Loki's head. Loki's hand came up to rest on the hand as the head bowed. Odin whispered into Loki's ear then stood. It seemed to take a moment for whatever to have been said to register then Loki reacted. 

He tried to stand and pull Odin's hand from his head at the same time. He moved to twist and turn, to escape the hold that the AllFather hand him literally under with that one hand. Desperate pleading sounds came from his broken throat.

Odin whispered under his breath. He stared down at Loki while the words came out and a deep white began to swirl from his hand around Loki's head. It grew in size and strength, turning faster and more violent. Finally Reapt and the guards could no longer stand the brightness and had to look away then completely turn away and shield their eyes from the blinding light.

Loki's voice had gone from deep muffled sounds of agonizing pain to what seemed to end in high pitched screams and wails of pure agony. It was on these notes that Odin brought Gungnir down to violently strike the stone floor and as the sound vibrated away the swirling light also faded. 

He turned and left behind a dark cell. He took several steps into the hall then turned his head slightly to speak over his shoulder. "I expect no more reports that you were unable to manage the prisoners discipline."

Reapt watched as the AllFather walked down the hall and then out the far door. He snatched a torch from the hand of a trembling guard and turned to the cell. He thrust the torch inside and looked around, Loki was no where to be seen. He swung the light around, what had the AllFather done with him?

He took a step in then sucked in a breath as his foot kicked something that seemed to let out a frightened squeak. Reapt snapped the torch downward and he couldn't stop the words, "Faith of the Norns be damned."

Looking back up at him was a child. Filthy black hair, a body soiled in dirt and blood and covered in months of beatings and torture. Bright green eyes blinked owlishly at him, blinded from both too much darkness and too much light. The boy sat in leather pants too large for his painfully thin frame.

"Loki?" Reapt asked in a near reverent whisper. He passed the torch back to a guard then reached out a hand to carefully pull the now too large muzzle from the boys mouth and face. It easily slipped over his head while red blood poured from the boys mouth as he took shuddering gasps. Reapt reached out and poked the metal collar that still fit perfectly around the now slender throat.

A bark of disbelieving laughter came from the Captain as Loki whimpered and leaned back. The boy had to be no more than four or five years old, he still had that baby softness of Reapt's own son who was not yet five. Reaching out he grabbed the boy despite the cry of fright and turning he tossed Loki to the nearest guard.

"Here! I think even you can handle our most feared Prince now!" There was laughter that filled the hall, the guards taking turns hefting the now naked Prince to test his slight weight. Holding him by an ankle seemed to be the favored way as they swung him about while they moved to the rooms designed for discipline. 

After several months there came no more reports of violence from the Prince. And then there came no more reports at all.

Two years later

"Loki?"


	2. Chapter 2

Annie climbed the stairs of her apartment building. Though she felt calling it a building was deceptive since it was a historical three story house that had been divided into apartments. Hers just happened to be the third floor. And the stairs to it were outside which was why she was now muttering under her breath.

She had her door key in her hand, ready as soon as she finally made it to her door. "Stupid, freakin' weatherman. Light showers? Light showers my sparkly, wet butt." Another clap of thunder shook the sky and the lightening was so close that she expected to feel the static electricity. She stomped up the last of the steps, her work boots gripping the wooden boards.

The key easily went into the lock and in seconds she was inside, leaning against the door. The only sound her dripping and sniffing. She turned and looked at herself in the mirror she kept on the door so she could see herself before she went out the door. A last chance to make sure she had brushed her hair and zipped her pants up.

Right now she saw a woman of indeterminate racial background, brown hair in a bedraggled ponytail with hair that had escaped in various wisps throughout the workday and were now plastered all over her face. Brownish eyes stared at herself, if she had remembered to put any makeup on this morning, it was gone now. Her work uniform clung to her uncomfortably. A sturdy, long sleeved tan shirt with A Plus Maintenance stitched in black thread was tucked into black cargo pants. All wet and clinging tightly.

"Girl, you are a drowned rat. No insult meant to rats." She huffed out a breath and shoved hair back from her face. She plopped herself on the floor and started working on getting her wet bootlaces undone, she had no intent of walking on her hardwood floor while dripping water. At least here at the door she sat on a rug. "You're gonna get sick. And then have to ask Creepy Kevin for time off." She scowled at the black lace she was tugging on. "How can I not know how to do this?" She gave a snort of a laugh. "Not unknot it. Ahhh, I crack myself up."

There was another clap of thunder and lightening, it felt like it was right overhead. She felt it in her bones. "Holy thunder bolts, Batman. That one was right here." She growled at her laces, they fought with her but she finally got one then the other untied and the boots off. She pulled wet socks off as well. Yelling to no one, "Water proof? Why yes! Let me pay extra for waterproof boots that soak through the first time they get wet." 

She grabbed everything and headed to her large balcony. As far as she was concerned it was the best feature of the apartment and had sold her on renting the overpriced third floor unit. She stood in front of the French doors, her hand on the door handle as she contemplated opening it enough to set her wet boots outside for now. The balcony was large and enclosed on the sides. The roof covered half of it, it was perfect. Sun and shade. Except for right now when half of it was getting soaked. But the boots wouldn't get wetter.

Annie frowned and leaned closer to the glass. On the street behind her were stores, single and two story, she had a perfect view of the roofs. She thought she saw movement between them, which must have been a bird flying from one roof top to another but what bird would be dumb enough to be flying in the middle of a thunder and lightening storm?

Her head rested against the glass as if those few inches would make all the difference. There it was again. She opened the door and dropped her boots to the side as she stepped out, closing the door behind herself. She squinted as she walked to the edge of the dry boards, it was hard to see through the downpour. There was little wind, just heavy rain and lightening.

Whatever it was, it was moving closer but she still couldn't tell what it was. "I'm already soaked." She muttered and stepped out into the rain. She walked to the railing and raised her hands up and cupped them around her eyes to block out the rain. Still squinting she stared.

Something, jumping. From roof to roof. With, something, on its back? A red lump. In its arms? A person jumping? Leaping? A person? What the heck? It was insane the height and distance covered. What kind of crazy parkour stunt was this? Damned if this figure didn't remind her of a weird Santa Claus with the red bundle. Annie let herself give a loud noise of disbelief when she saw the person land and bring the bundle from where it was tied around its back to its front.

Somehow, through the rain and distance, the figure seemed to have heard her. It semi crouched and stared right in her direction.

Annie froze. Okay. She knew that lots of weird things went on in the world now days, she watched the news. But it didn't mean anything to her, she lived in the suburbs way out of any major city, namely New York. So weird things should not be staring at her. The figure stood and kept staring. Well. They both stood there in the pouring rain. It knew she was staring. She knew it was staring. Without thinking her right hand came up and gave a hesitant little wave. 

The figure settled the red bundle and leapt from the rooftop.

"Oh my God, Annie, you're gonna end up dead. Santa's gonna kill you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if you find any type of errors.  
> Thanks!

Thor watched the woman standing on her balcony, staring at them. She stood there, unmoving until her hand came up in that little wave. And he huffed out a shuddering breath he hadn't known he had been holding. He had gathered his cape in his arms and in a moment was standing before her.

Annie had backed up, not so much in outright fear as in self preservation. She had no desire to be squashed flat on her balcony in the rain by a unknown, leaping person thing. And now she found herself staring at a really tall, blonde haired man holding the red bundle in his arms while staring at her.

"You're not Santa."

Thor slowly shook his head. "No. No, I am not. My name is Thor." He gave a slight bow that wasn't awkward at all even though it should have been. With the fact that he had appeared on her third floor balcony by jumping there. In the middle of a thunder and lightening storm. While his arms were full of something hidden by a red piece of fabric.

Annie frowned. Thor. Thunder and lightening storm. Thor. Her eyes widened. "Thor?" She looked into the rain. "Of course you are. Because," she shrugged while waving at the rain, "god of thunder bolts and lightening." She swallowed and whispered, "very, very frightening."

Now it was Thor's turn to frown. "There is no such thing as thunder bolts. And I apologize for frightening you, my Lady. This," he looked up, "happens when, I'm agitated." He glanced downwards to whatever was hidden in the red cloth. There was loud thunder above them but thankfully no lightening.

Annie nodded. "Oh." She wiped at her face. It didn't help since she was in the rain. "I'm Annie." She pointed to the stitching on her shirt, "goddess of household appliance repair." She wanted to laugh but was sure it would come out in a rather frightening giggle more appropriate for a homicidal cheerleader. "How about we go inside rather than stand out in the rain? In, your thunderstorm?" She headed towards the door, or at least out of the rain and under cover.

Thor looked at her, his own hair clung to his head, hanging down in his face. He was soaking wet. He knew he looked like the last person a woman should allow into her home. He gave her a nod and followed her when she walked to her doors and held one open. Walking through he moved to the side so she could walk past him.

Annie ignored the thought of her beautiful wood floor for a moment as she pulled the door shut. She walked further into the room then turned to stare at her guest. "Um," she looked around for a few seconds. "I'm going to get some towels, you can set your," She waved her hand at what he was carrying, "friend down." 

"Friend?" Thor's arms tensed.

Annie raised an eyebrow, "It's obviously a person by the way you're carrying them. Probably a small one. So maybe your kid?" She pointed to the couch. "There's fine."

"He's wet."

Annie snorted. "We're all wet."

She turned and disappeared through a door that Thor could partially see into. It was a small bathing chamber and she was grabbing towels. He could hear her speaking to herself and felt more tension ease in his chest as he looked around while listening her low voice. 

The apartment, he knew that's what it was called, was simply furnished with the basic requirements. He saw into the kitchen area across the room that there was a small dining table with two chairs. Here along with the couch were two leather chairs. They didn't match but they looked comfortable and he knew he could easily fit in either one. He noticed the floor had many colorful rugs on them, he looked down and noticed one near his feet, he took the few steps and moved so he would drip on them instead of her wooden floor.

"Okay. Thor. Thor. God of Thunder. Avenger guy. Dripping water on my apartment floor because, sure, why not? What am I doing? Towels, Annie. You're getting towels because, soaking wet. Geeze, you're a mess." She grabbed every one off the shelves including every hand towel and wash cloth because, why not.

The woman came back and seemed surprised he was still standing. She dumped everything on one end of the couch then took several and spread them out on the other end. Once she had tucked the sides in she motioned, "is that okay?"

Thor nodded, his lips moved in what could have been a faded smile. He came forward and gently set the bundle on the couch, slowly dropping to one knee as he did. One hand reached for the cloth and searched for an edge. Once he found it he started to pull it down then stopped.

Annie met Thor's blue eyes as he turned his face to look up at her. His jaw clenched and a rumble of thunder shook the walls. "My lady, this is my brother, Loki."

"Loki?" Annie frowned, then shook her head. "I didn't know you had a brother."

"It's not something generally known unless you have an interest in my family and I. It could be something found in the myths of your world, if someone wanted to read that. Most people don't." Thor opened his mouth to say more, Annie could see there was something else he wanted to say but instead he shook his head and pulled the red cloth down.

Annie knew from Thor's words that Loki was his brother which meant that Loki was a boy. And she knew right away that he had black hair, because that's what her eyes told her brain. However that information seemed to vanish as her eyes took in and sent an overwhelming amount of information to her brain. 

Thor heard the woman's gasp and looked up at her. He had revealed nothing more than Loki's face, even the magic suppressing collar wasn't visible. If the woman saw Loki's face and demanded they leave then they would, he saw no need to traumatize her more if Loki's face alone would do it. The woman had covered her mouth, her shock had been clear on her face. He quietly sighed and began to reach for his brother. 

A hand on his shoulder stopped him, her fingers dug into his flesh. "What are you doing?" Annie's voice was slightly muffled from behind her hand. "Don't move him. God, what happened to him?" She shook her head, "No, wait. Let me get my first aid kit, first." She turned away. Her mouth was still covered by her hand. She headed towards her bedroom.

Thor looked down at Loki's face, he had seen the damage several times now and was still horrified himself. But now he tried to see it as if for the first time. 

Loki was obviously a young child but the sharp angular lines all over his face made him look older. Cheek bones stood out. His eyes were sunken so the curved bones under them were prominent. His chin was pointed as was his nose. Blood and dirt filled every line and crevice. Dark black bruises littered his translucent skin, purple, green and yellow bruises as well. There was very little of the pale skin untouched and visible. Cuts were scabbed over, others fresh and still weeping blood, all were filthy. Several infected. Even though Thor made himself take these multiple injuries in first, they were all secondary. What was primary was the most obvious. Loki's lips were sewn shut.

Annie made it to her bathroom toilet before vomiting. Which she was really glad of because she needed to get back out to Thor with the first aid kit. And if she first had to clean up barf, then, oh God, who would do that to a little kid? Who would do that period? Who would do that? 

Her stomach empty, she had dry heaves for a while but she kept telling her stomach to hurry up because she needed to get back out there. She flushed the toilet then at last went to the sink and drank straight from the flowing water. She rinsed and spat over and over then splashed water on her face. She stared at herself in the mirror. Looking hard into her eyes.

What in the Hell had she gotten herself into? She knew one thing for sure. She was damn well going to find out.

She took several deep breaths in through her nose and went to find her first aid kit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope Annie's character is starting to come through. I will make her much more developed in the next chapter.
> 
> Please let me know if you find any type of errors.  
> Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you find any errors.
> 
> Also, can you let me know if you think Annie is consistent in this chapter? I struggled to tell her point of view so if I failed then let me know and I'll give it another try.

Annie walked firmly out to the living room and back to the couch. She saw Thor was still kneeling on the floor, a huge hand on his brothers head gently stroking over the long matted mess of hair. She stopped suddenly as she saw Loki again. Her stomach clenched. She hadn't forgotten what he looked like. But she had somehow forgotten what he looked like. Forgotten what the the reality was. She squeezed her eyes shut while she again covered her mouth but only for a moment before moving to kneel beside Thor.

The two adults stared down at the face of the child. The sound of the rain and rumbles of thunder filled the silence. Loki took little breaths through his nose though he seemed to struggle, his chest never seeming to fully rise beneath the cloth.

Annie stared at Loki's lips, they were red and swollen. The thread was black but it was impossible to know if that was its original color or simply the color it had become. The wounds where it entered his flesh were in various stages of healing. Those in the center were weeping blood, those at the corners of his mouth were nearly healed around the thread. Each stitch had been looped through the skin and tied off, nothing a woman familiar with a needle and thread would do.

Annie found herself chanting under her breath. "Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god OHGOD."

Thor turned his head to look into her face. He saw too much disbelief. "My lady. We should go. This is too much for you."

Annie shook her head and looked at Thor. "What? No. No, you can't go." She swallowed. "I'm okay. I'm okay." She ran both hands over her head, her hair still dripping wet. "I'm fine." She nodded, her words trying to convince herself. "I'm, really, I'm fine." She brought up her first aid kit. "But I don't think this is going to help at all. He needs, he needs." Her voice trailed off while her free hand helplessly waved in the air.

"I know." Thor spoke understandingly. He hadn't had much time to process what he had seen but he still knew more than what Annie did.

"I'm guessing you can't just take him to the hospital." Annie set the first aid kit on the couch next to Loki.

"No. No I can not. However, I have friends that I'm hoping will be willing to help us." Thor ran a tender thumb over Loki's forehead. "I will have to ask them."

Annie's head snapped up to look at Thor. "What'd you mean you're hoping they'd be willing to help? If they're your friends then there's no question about it. You show up and they help."

Thor gave another of those faded smiles. "It is, complicated, Lady Annie."

She shook her head. Her voice was surprisingly angry though Thor wondered if the anger came from something he knew nothing about. "No. That's the thing about friends, Thor. It's not complicated at all. Especially if it involves a kid. Why wouldn't they help your brother? He's a little kid." She waved at him. "Just look at him." Annie's eyes had been gathering tears the more she had been talking, now she swiped them away.

Thor stared at her. She was crying. Over Loki. He didn't know of any woman who had ever cried over his brother except their mother. This stranger didn't even know him and she spared tears for him. Though she probably wouldn't if she knew who exactly he was and what terrible things he had done. If she knew there would be no tears.

He looked back at his brother. He spoke more confidently than he felt. "They will help him. I just need to, prepare them. The last time they met, he was much different. And the, consequences of that meeting are still being felt."

"How different could he have been?" She motioned to Loki. Who could hold a grudge against a little kid? What did he do? Pee on their rug? Paint the walls? Maybe hit their kid? What could be so bad to turn away a kid in need of help?

Thor remained quiet though he opened his mouth to answer. He was afraid of what she would say and more so of what she would do. There was only so much compassion a mortal could have for Loki. He had tried to rule their realm. To conquer their world. He had laid waste to part of a major city. Murdered its citizens.

He took a breath. "My brother Loki was the one who lead the invasion of your world, your city of New York nearly three years ago." He looked at Annie to gauge her reaction.

Annie had been looking at Thor while he spoke. She was waiting for the big revelation of what Loki had done. She was aware Thor was waiting for her reaction but her mind was blank. She looked to Loki then back to Thor. Now it was her turn to start to speak then stop before getting out. "He looked a lot taller on TV."

Thor stared at Annie.

"I'm sorry." She bit her bottom lip. "That wasn't, appropriate for the moment. I have a bad habit of saying stuff like that when I'm told things that make no sense to me but people think it should. Just how did this little kid do an invasion of an entire planet?"

"He wasn't a child. Loki should be an adult. My brother is only a few years younger than me. The last time I saw him he was on his way to being locked into the dungeon on Asgard. And he was a very angry, violent man." Thor shook his head. "I don't know how this happened but I do have my suspicions." There was a violent roll of thunder and flashes of lightening that were right above them. Thor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "My apologies." He spoke softly.

"No worries." Annie shook her head. "I think I'd be rolling some thunder myself." She was still trying to get over the casual way Thor had said dungeons. As if having dungeons in your basement was just a normal thing. Maybe it was. Licking her lips she asked, "you said you had a suspicion on what caused, this." She pointed a finger at Loki and waved it around as though trying to color him in. "His, becoming a kid."

Thor shook his head. "I'm not ready to voice it. I must return to Asgard and carefully seek answers. I would hope to learn that I am wrong, however." He clenched his jaw for a moment before speaking again, "it seems I will not like my answers no matter what they may be." There was another loud rumble of thunder that shook the house.

Annie raised her shoulders, not really a shrug but more a question, "What brought you to me? Or even here? We're a good distance from New York and your friends, who I'm guessing are the Avengers." She hoped his friends were the Avengers. She couldn't think of anyone else who could even hope to be able to help Loki. She hadn't seen the rest of his body but what could even the best children's hospital do to treat the brother of a god?

Thor turned to look at Annie, right down into her brown eyes. Even with both of them on their knees he was still so much taller than her. "I needed to find a place to hide him while I went to ask their help. Some place he would be safe for awhile in case they refuse. If they did, I couldn't return right away to him. They may have a way to follow me and I couldn't have them track us down."

"The Avenger's would do that?" Annie was offended. How dare they? What kind of friends were they?

"Not them perhaps. But there are, others that they may feel obligated to notify that most certainly would be interested in Loki. And I can not let them have him. Not like this." Thor had kept his hand on Loki's head, now he closed his hand around his head, almost able to encircle it.

Annie nodded. "Okay. Got it." She nodded more certainly. "Well, you go ask, we'll wait here. I'll make sure he's safe. And I'll take care of him, as best I can." She stared at Loki, totally missing Thor's look of surprise that slowly was turning into a desperate gratitude. "He'll be okay while you're gone, right? I mean, we've been talking for awhile so I figured he must be stable. At least for now."

Thor reached out and grabbed Annie and pulled her into a fierce hug. "Thank you so very much, Lady Annie. I can not express how deep in your debt I am. The debt Loki and I both are in to you." He leaned back and Annie could have sworn she saw the blue eyes shimmering. But it could have been rain drops.

"Well, you're welcome. You both are." She glanced to Loki. "I'll watch him like he was my own brother." There was a slight hitch in her voice and she felt tears in her eyes. She wiped them away. She certainly didn't need to think about anything like that right now.

Thor stood. "I will leave you then. The quicker I leave the quicker I shall return. And my friends will help us." He gave a last look down to Loki. "They will."

Annie watched as the god walked across the floor and to her door. His hand was on the door knob when he stopped and turned back. "Oh." He knelt and set his hand on the floor, his palm spread out. Annie watched as a faint white light slowly spread from his fingertips. It looked like a cross between lightening and frost crystals. It seemed to seek out all the water drops and puddles, sparking as it touched. Annie watched in amazement as the water evaporated in gentle puffs of steam.

She smelled ozone, like standing outside in a lightening storm. The wood had already discolored, now it gained that color back as the white light ran along the wood grain. Drying it out down to the cells. When he stood Annie saw he had his first genuine smile on his face. He turned and headed back out into the rain. In a moment he had leapt from the balcony and was gone.

Annie looked down at the frail body on her couch and wondered again what the hell she had gotten herself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you find any errors.
> 
> Also, can you let me know if you think Annie is consistent in this chapter? I struggled to tell her point of view so if I failed then let me know and I'll give it another try.


	5. Chapter 5

Annie walked on her knees closer to Loki's head. She knelt beside him, looking down at his little face, feeling the horror growing inside her mind all over again. No freaking out, girl, just keep it together. "Okay, okay, um, okay. This is real and, you're real. I'm real. So, um." Annie closed her eyes. Idiot. "Great job, now that we've established that fact." Opening her eyes she looked back down.

"So, Loki, I'm Annie. And your brother, Thor, uh, not that you don't know his name but, I don't know, maybe you have more than one brother. So, it was Thor who brought you here and left you with me. He went to go, uh, get you some help. Because, you need help." Annie nodded. "Yeah, way more than I can give you."

Her eyes were finally able to begin to see all the other wounds, the damage on his face and she pressed her lips together. "Son of a bitch." The words were muttered. "Sorry, sorry, not you. That was inappropriate to say in front of a little kid, I know. It's just that, this isn't normal for me. None of this is normal." 

Annie pushed herself to her feet and grabbed the wash cloths from the end of the couch and took them to the kitchen sink. She let the hot water run for a few moments, it took time to heat up, then soaked them. She wrung them out then came back to kneel by Loki. Taking one she carefully reached out and touched the side of his forehead. There was no reaction.

"Okay. So I'm just going to try and clean you up, just a little." Annie's hand moved in tiny strokes, her head leaned closer to get a better view of her work. "We'll get you cleaned up, get all this, dirt, off your face and then I can see how handsome you are." Annie's lips quirked. "Maybe you prefer cute? I can tell, you know. You just look like a cute little kid."

A sob came out of her mouth, Annie dropped her head to the couch. She pressed her face into the fabric and forced herself to not cry. Lifting her head she sniffed and smiled, "Sorry about that. I swear, I'm usually not one of those females who cries. I like to think I'm pretty tough." She took a quick breath. 

She cleaned a wider spot, pale white skin appeared. "But damn kid, I'm not anywhere close to being as tough as you. Sorry, cuss word again, sorry. But, all this horrible," Annie swallowed back the waver in her voice. "Horrible stuff done to you and look at you. Still right here. Still alive. And you're going to get better. You are. And then hopefully your big brother is going to kick the ass of those who did this to you. And no, I'm not apologizing for that word. I hope Thor does a lot worse." She cleaned a stubborn spot of blood. "Besides, that's not really too bad of a word. I'd let you say it. Maybe." Annie smiled slightly as she cleaned a wider patch on Loki's forehead. "Aw who am I kidding. I'd probably let a cute kid like you get away with way too much."

Annie continued to talk about random and unconnected subjects for the next hour as she carefully cleaned Loki's face. She gently cleaned up into his hairline where she found his hair gritty from the filth embedded in it. She wondered if his long hair would need to be shaved off, it was matted like dreadlocks. He reeked from the utter dirt and of the sickness that she knew he had to have raging in his small body. 

She wiped at his closed eyes, wiping away dirt that nearly sealed his eyes shut. She revealed long black lashes that sat against his bruised flesh. She cleaned blood trails that had run up his face rather than down. He had been upside down when he had gotten those injuries.

"I swear, if I ever meet these bastards I will kick their balls into the back of their throats so they choke on 'em." She wiped the trails clean, "Sorry, that whole sentence was wildly inappropriate. Doesn't mean I wouldn't do it though." She gave a shaky laugh. "I'm willing to be pretty violent for you, kid. I usually toss bugs outside rather than squash them."

She had a pile of soiled cloths in a pile on a towel by the time she had Loki's face to the point where she stopped. His face now would be considered the dirty face of a child who had played hard outside all day. But it was shockingly clean from what it had been before. Except around his mouth. That she hadn't touched. She couldn't. It left the difference obvious.

She had turned the lights on to see better and now she stood stiffly, staring down at Loki. She had very purposely not pulled down what she realized was Thor's red cape to reveal any more of Loki's body. Now that his face was clean the individual injuries could be better seen. He had been struck repeatedly and by different things. Some injuries were cuts caused by something thin while other bruises were obviously slaps because she could see the outlines left by several fingers. Annie was surprised at how angry she was when she realized that Loki's face was actually too small to take an entire hand print.

Now she slowly reached down and grasped the edge of the cape. The fabric was surprisingly dry on both sides and warm. And soft. Really soft. The first thing she saw was the collar around his neck. Annie's eyes widened. "What the hell?" She whispered. Kneeling back down she gently reached out to hesitantly touch it. Nothing happened. It was metal, it looked like a snakes body and she turned it to see where the snakes head was. At Loki's neck a small trail of blood appeared from under the collar and ran down towards his back. "What the hell?" 

She reached down and was only able to slip her pinky between the collar and Loki's neck. Carefully she ran her finger along the underside then flinched and pulled it back. She stared at the bead of blood on her finger. "It just never stops." She wiped the blood onto her pants and slowly continued to pull the cape down.

Annie's breathing sped up as she saw the continued bruises on his shoulders. They were so thin they reminded her of featherless baby bird wings. She could see more handprint bruises around his arms. As she revealed his chest she stopped. She could see injuries coming around from the back of him to encircle him. She leaned closer to examine what type of wound it was. "What is this?" She had no idea what- suddenly she reared back. Images from movies flashed in her mind. These were whip marks. And they went around him because the whip had wrapped around his tiny little body.

Annie dropped the cape and raised both hands to press the heels of her palms into her eyes. She pushed hard, hoping the sparks would erase what was burned into her minds eye. She turned in a slow circle. She dropped her hands and grabbed the cape and pulled it free, exposing the rest of Loki's body all at once. Like pulling a band aid off at once.

"Fuuuuuck!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was intended to be an explanation by Thor of how he found out about Loki and got him out of prison and Asgard. However it seemed more important to set up the rest of the story. So that telling will have to come later.

Thor landed on the roof of the Avengers Tower. He pulled in a deep breath as he entered, unused to feeling uncertain. He took the elevator to the common room where he found the room empty, he stood a moment in the quiet.

He had had enough time to think about how he wanted to ask for his friends help and yet he still had no certain words. Words were Loki's specialty and he had always left them to him. While he was certain they would at least give Loki basic aid, he hoped to get the stitches removed from his brothers lips at the very least. That was more than he thought he would do without causing damage, to Loki and certainly to wherever they were with his emotions. Lightening would be striking all out of control.

He wasn't sure how long he had stood there before he noticed Banner coming up a set of stairs. He watched as the man quietly moved closer while giving Thor a careful once over. Clad in tan pants and a light blue dress shirt with the sleeve rolled up, he wasn't the obvious warrior. Yet he had been the one to defeat Loki in the Battle of New York. Thor liked the man of science even though he and Banner were so different. The doctor reminded him of Loki, he always was thinking and saw the consequences of actions while Thor only saw results.

"Hey Thor." Bruce pushed his glasses onto his head. He felt a little curiosity, the god normally wasn't this still. And he was never this quiet. "J.A.R.V.I.S. said you were just standing here. Did you need something?" He stopped farther away than was normal for most casual friends but then he always seemed to keep extra distance between himself and others. As though he were subconsciously giving room for the Hulk to fill.

Thor slowly nodded, still gathering his thoughts. "Yes Banner. I would have words with you and Stark. And the Captain if he is also available."

Bruce nodded, "sure, they're both around here somewhere. We can meet here if you want."

Thor looked around at the comfortable couches and chairs then shook his head. "A little more private, if you please."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Sure. A conference room then." At Thor's nod he spoke again. "J.A.R.V.I.S. can you ask Tony and Steve to meet with us in conference room 2?"

"Of course, Doctor."

The two men headed to the elevator. Bruce was becoming more and more aware that there was something seriously wrong with the god. He had never known Thor to be this silent, contained. It was making the Hulk twitchy. Bruce glanced down and noticed that the big man had brought his hands together, one hand pinching the palm of the other. Bruce swallowed and was glad when the doors opened and he could escape the little metal box.

Following Banner Thor saw the Captain coming from the other direction. Here was a warrior much more to his understanding. The Captain walked confidently and in an open manner, chest out. Certain that he could overcome any opponent that he faced. Banner could as well, he simply didn't want to face the opponent.

"Hey Thor." Steve called out as he gave Bruce a nod of acknowledgement. The two men had seen each other earlier at a meeting. "You're back sooner than you planned, everything alright in Asgard?"

Thor met the Captain's eyes. "No. Everything is not well in Asgard." At Steve's raised eyebrow and swift glance at Banner, Thor continued. "However I would wait to speak until Stark arrives."

From down the hall came a loud yell. "I knew it! Damn it, Point Break! I was going to test my thrusters, been working on them all afternoon, and you brought rain." Tony came down the hall in his Iron Man suit. He had retracted his helmet and gauntlets already, now with another tap to his chest the nano tech closed everything down into two bracelets which he slid off and into the pockets of his jeans.

Thor nodded his head but didn't apologize. He did to Lady Annie but wouldn't to Stark. It was different. "Stark. I have need of your aid."

Tony had already glanced at Bruce's face and read it like an overhead printout of his suit. He knew Bruce nearly as well. And Bruce was nervous and concerned and kept looking at Thor. He had also moved to stand behind Steve, putting Cap in front of everyone else. Thor was freaking Bruce out.

"Well of course you do. Everyone does, eventually. Step into my office and tell daddy all about it." Tony opened the conference door and stepped through, ignoring Steve's huff of irritation at Tony's words.

Finding a chair at the twelve seat table wasn't a problem. Tony crossed his feet and plopped them down on the wooden table top. It was one piece of wood, very expensive. Or at least it would have been if it hadn't been grown from a tree cloned in a lab over a few dozen years rather than hundreds. Of course that made it expensive monetarily but Tony didn't care about that, it hadn't cost a real tree anything.

Everyone had seated themselves. Thor was at the head, Tony on one side by himself so he could watch everyone and with no one at his back. Bruce and Steve sat next to each other across from Tony. The chairs swiveled to face Thor who was sitting up straight on the edge of his seat with his hands folded on the table while his head was down. 

"So what's the big problem you need help with?" Tony kept his tone mostly serious, even he could see Thor was clearly upset. Still, he was taken aback when Thor raised his head up to look at him with what appeared to be a shine of tears in his eyes. It was enough for him to pull his legs off the table and lean forward. "Jesus, Thor. What the hells wrong?"

"I need your help." Thor took a breath and swallowed. He kept seeing Loki's body, how was he supposed to fix him? How did he let this happen?

"Yeah, whatever it is, you got it. Right Cap?" Tony looked over to Steve for confirmation.

Steve was a soldier. A soldier gets the facts before confirming that something can be done. "What do you need us to do, Thor?" Steve's voice was gentle yet commanding.

Thor turned his head and looked right at him. "I need you to help me save Loki. To, help, save him." Thor dropped his head into his hands. Slowly his head fell farther towards the table and his hands slid to the back of his head.

Tony, Steve and Bruce were unmoving. They stared at Thor. If he was actually crying they couldn't tell. They weren't even sure how much time went by before they all seemed to be able to move, the first thing they did was look at each other. From the expressions they saw mirrored they knew they had heard right but they were still not sure they had heard right.

Tony wanted to speak up, he was actually pretty shocked that he hadn't made some snarky comment yet. He wondered if he was still capable of speech because he couldn't remember the last time he had actually been speechless. He had always thought it was a myth. 

Bruce was franticly trying to classify what Thor had said into multiple categories. It might fit in the misinformed file but he doubted that, Thor seemed to know what he was talking about. It would never be in the humor file, this was Thor, not Tony. It could go under incorrect however it was much too soon for that one. God, please let it be able to be filed under incorrect.

Steve spoke what they were all trying to process. "Thor, what do you mean? Save Loki?" His voice was that same soft tone that couldn't be ignored.

Thor sat up and took a breath and wiped at his eyes with his shoulder. He excepted the handkerchief that Steve had pulled from a pocket and wiped his face.

Steve refused to acknowledge the look of disbelief that Tony gave him that clearly was asking who in modern day history carried a handkerchief in their pocket?

Thor closed his eyes for just a moment then looked at each of his friends before speaking. "I told you last I was here that I have been unable to see Loki since he was removed here and taken before our father for sentencing."

Tony had gained back his ability to speak so he interrupted. "Yeah, which I told you was pretty shitty even for Loki to not even get a trial."

Thor frowned. "There is no need for a trial when there is no question of guilt. Loki committed crimes against earth. He committed crimes before that against other realms. His actions caused chaos in even more worlds because of the destruction of the Bifrost. This is a fact."

Tony leaned back in his chair with a shrug while shaking his head. "Still don't like it."

Thor nodded and continued. "He was sentenced to the dungeon for as long as our father chose."

"Also shitty that there's no end date. But hey, whatever. Gods." Tony folded his arms and looked unrepentant.

"Tony," Bruce quietly spoke up. "I really need Thor to get to the part about Loki needing our help. So, can you, maybe just shut up?" Tony raised an eyebrow at Bruce's outspokenness. "Please?"

Tony raised his hands in surrender for a moment before folding his arms across his chest again. One of his legs was tapping wildly under the table.

Thor let out a huff. "I was told that Loki refused to see me. Our mother was able to see him twice in the first days, she said he was violent. Then she was told that he also was refusing to see her. She sent him books and they were returned to her, torn, destroyed." Thor shook his head, "we, I should have known at that point something was desperately wrong. Loki hardly would have returned books. And even if he had, they would never have been damaged. He would have to-" he raised his hands in bewilderment, "have been in the grasp of madness to destroy something he holds so precious."

The three other men exchanged glances. As far as they were concerned Loki was insane and they had no trouble seeing him doing something like tearing up books. After all, this was the same person who had led an invasion of earth with aliens. What were a of couple of books?

"The Captain of the guard said that it agitated Loki to be asked. They told me not to return to the dungeons if I cared for him." Thor slammed fists on to the table and the men jumped in surprise as he stood. "I should have forced my way in. I should not have allowed that common whoreson to give orders to me." Thor's face was furious and all three men glanced up as they felt the rumble of thunder.

"Thor." Bruce's voice was hesitant. He didn't want to be near where lightening was striking.

"Uh, Thor? God of lightening strikes and possible power outages in a major earth city?" Tony watched tiny sparks fall from Thor's fingertips. "How about we take the stress down a notch?"

Thor looked at Tony, his eyes were a faint electric white around the blue. "I am distressed, Man of Iron. My brother has been turned into a child and tortured for over two years and I. Am. In. Distress."

The overhead lights flashed and popped seemingly all at once before sparks rained down all over them. Bruce dove under the table, Steve leapt to his feet while putting a protective hand out in the direction of Bruce.

Tony was nearly instantly enclosed in his suit. He had the random thought streak through his mind that he was going to need a new pair of jeans before he took a reading on the god.

Thor stood with his head bowed, only lit by the sparks that still jumped through the air. The god was a frightening figure. Even knowing him, Tony saw why people of old worshipped him. He was an impressive figure.

Emergency lighting came on, faint in its ability to light up all the corners. Tony made a note to himself to take a couple of hours this weekend and invent something better.

Wait, what did Thor say?

Bruce waited under the table, he recited one of his doctorate thesis, he picked a random spot in the middle to start. He would certainly write it different now, he felt like it was written by a child. It could have had so many better points made. He still felt the stirrings of anger that rose from his elevated heart rate and switched to factoring- wait. Did Thor say Loki had been turned into a child?

Steve waited off to the side while the sparks fell. Tony was safe in his suit. Bruce was under the table, lately he had been doing well in controlling his anger. This floor was empty at this time of day so there shouldn't be any concerns for other injuries. However all of these factors couldn't be taken for granted so once the emergency lights came on he crouched down and asked, "You good, Bruce?"

"Yeah." Bruce slowly crawled out and Steve easily helped him to standing upright.

Steve stood and looked across the table. "Tony? How about you?"

Tony flipped him off.

Steve sighed. "J.A.R.V.I.S. status on the outage in the building."

"I was aware of Mr. Odinson's building power surge and was able to confine the power outage to this floor. It's in the process of being repaired as we speak."

"Thank you." 

Thor slowly raised one hand and held up something ragged, black and burnt. "I am sorry, Captain. I of course will replace it."

Everyone looked at it. Steve's handkerchief. Steve waved it off, "don't worry about it."

Tony retracted his suit, leaving the bracelets on. He ignored the fact that he had gaping holes where his pockets should be. He also ignored Steve glaring at him because he had chosen to go commando today. "Wait. He gets an apology for a burnt hanky? What about my building? You took out the whole floor with your little power surge."

Thor turned to look at Tony with a careless shrug, "I've never had to think of controlling it on Asgard."

"You also don't have electricity on Asgard."

Steve sighed. "Tony." 

Tony threw up his hands while muttering. "Ass backward future world."

Steve needed to get everything back on target. "Can we move this discussion somewhere else." It wasn't really a question.

Tony moved to the door, "Common room. No one else is going to be here tonight. And I really need a drink." Without waiting for anyone else he was out the door, muttering to himself about gods, magic and advanced civilizations with no electricity.

By the time they got to the common room the idea of Loki being a child had lost its shock. It also had been neatly dismissed as a possibility by Bruce. Once they had settled into couches and chairs closest to the area to the bar where Tony was pouring his first drink, Bruce leaned forward and spoke up.

"Thor, I know what you said, but I have to tell you, Loki as a full grown adult being changed into a child is impossible." Bruce met Thor's gaze. The god stared back at him with the same nearly blank expression he'd had since his power surge. It was nearly blank because there was still that hint of distress on his face. Bruce swallowed. "I mean. Think of just the physical changes that would have to occur. Most obviously his bones would have to -" Bruce shook his head, at a near loss at how to explain something that was so impossible to him. He held his hands out and they waved around uselessly.

Thor spoke up, his voice low with a seething furor. "Someone would have had to cause his very bones to shrink in on themselves, to shorten. His muscles to contract, his organs to grow smaller as well. The pain would be beyond comprehension." There was quiet broken only when the ice clinked in Tony's glass as he finished his drink and poured himself another. 

Bruce shook his head. "Even if it could be done, no one could survive that."

"Magic. And a god could survive it." Thor stood. He shook his head.

Steve spoke up. "You said he had been tortured." Tony's glass slammed down on the bar top. When they looked over his expression was carefully blank but his eyes were staring at Thor with a bright intensity.

"Yes. And his body is, ravaged. I need your help." Thor turned to look directly at Bruce. "I am imploring you for your help Healer Banner."

Bruce suddenly looked like a startled cat. He sat up straight with wide eyes while shaking his head. "Me? No, Thor. I'm not exactly that kind of doctor." He pointed to himself. "I mean I can take a look at him but if it's magical injuries I can't -"

"These injuries are not magical in nature. Simple burns, cuts, and bruises." Thor raised his chin. "Loki will survive his injuries. I need him to do more than just survive. He needs more care than I can provide him."

"Hold on just a minute here." Tony tilted his head to look at Thor in curiosity. "Why is Loki here? I mean on earth? Why not just heal him up in your non electrical mystical, magical world?"

Thor fisted his hands. "We could not stay in Asgard."

Steve stood straighter, his voice took on a tone as if he were questioning a subordinate. "Did you break Loki out of prison?"

Thor stared off to the distance for a moment before meeting Steve's growing incredulous look. "Yes. I stole Loki from the dungeons of Asgard."

"Ha!" Tony pointed at Steve. "And you tell me I do stupid ass shit."

"I have never said that to you."

"Well you think it really loud."

Steve opened his mouth to refute that statement then realized he couldn't lie so he closed it. With a frown he ignored Tony's smirk and turned his attention back to Thor. "You can't just bring an escaped prisoner, especially Loki, to earth, Thor. We have an actual treaty with Asgard now."

Thor nodded slightly, as if to himself, while the sound of thunder was heard from outside. "You forget I was there for the writing of the treaty as it concerns my serving on Midgard. However Asgard doesn't know Loki is here. Right now he is hidden from Heimdall's sight."

"And you? Can Heimdall see you?" Steve asked.

"Yes."

Steve rubbed the back of his head. "Well, before we get too far here." He looked from Bruce to Tony. "Bruce said he was willing but we need to discuss if we're actually going to allow Loki back in to the Tower. The last time he was here, he was leading an army to invade earth." 

Thor clenched his jaw. He wondered if Annie had the gift of foresight. But then again, Thor had known enough to not bring Loki directly here. Perhaps he could have done so. And perhaps the shock of Loki's injuries would have garnered him enough sympathy for aid. But something had led Thor to not taking that chance. Perhaps this one time Thor shared his mother's gift.

Tony took another swallow of his drink. He was staring at a memory only he could see. A memory that happened in this room. His eyes slowly drifted to a window then skittered away, coming to rest on a spot on the floor.

Bruce clasped his hands together, he stared down at them. He tried to stop his thumbs from rubbing together but only succeeded in slowing them. He felt a headache behind his eyes and brought his hands up to push his thumbs into his eyes. Still pain but different.

Steve waited in the silence then looked to Thor. "How old is he?"

Thor frowned, for the first time he seemed perplexed. He looked down at his hands while holding them apart the length he remembered it seemed Loki was in his arms. "I am not certain. Perhaps in earth years, seven? Eight? Six? I don't know, he seems very small but he has always been very small for his age." Thor suddenly looked more uncomfortable than uncertain. 

Bruce made a noise of distress and brought his hands up to rub the back of his neck. He raised his head to look at Thor. "Maybe you should think about taking him to a hospital."

"Absolutely not."

Tony spoke up. "The Wizard." He took a drink. "Mr. Wizard is a real doctor. Fancy one too."

Thor looked thoughtful. "I had hoped to keep this between us." He saw Steve's frown. "I do not want S.H.I.E.L.D. knowing Loki is back on earth. With the treaty they would wish to curry favor with the AllFather. They would return Loki."

Steve let out a deep huff, "Alright. First, lets take a look at Loki. If he's more than Bruce can handle then we'll call in Strange." Steve gave a questioning look to Thor who took a moment to think about involving another person then nodded when he accepted he had no choice. Steve continued. "At that point we'll reassess and decide day by day how long Loki can stay depending on his recovery."

Thor looked down at the floor. He didn't try to hide his displeasure at these conditions. He also knew he had no choice. Again, he was powerless in this agreement and it was a new feeling for him. 

Tony came over and slapped him on the shoulder as he passed by to slouch down in a chair. "Relax, Point Break. We'll keep S.H.I.E.L.D. out of it while Loki's here."

Steve frowned slightly, "that's dependent on Loki." There was the rumble of thunder outside the building, even the flash of lightening. Steve held out his hands, "come on Thor. We all know Loki, he can make things difficult."

Thor stared at them, his eyes sliding over each one. "I feel as though you have not heard my words at all." Thor's voice was as if he were speaking to himself. "I can only hope that you will understand once you see Loki for yourselves."

Tony finished his drink and set it on the coffee table then gave a single clap of his hand. "Okay, Sparks." He rubbed his hands together. "Where exactly is Reindeer Games?"

Thor pressed his lips together for a moment, still looking at the three men. He finally answered. "With a friend."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully a couple more chapters and Loki finally meets Annie.

It was dark outside as Thor stood on Annie's balcony and looked through her doors at the scene inside her home. The lights had all been turned on, every last one. Even from a distance he had been able to see the lights from the windows, no other buildings in the area were tall enough to block the sight. Despite the fact she must have moved while he was gone, it appeared that she had moved right back to Loki's side.Annie heard the door to her balcony open and she raised her head to see Thor step through. He looked even more exhausted than he had when she first saw him but he was dry and she realized that the rain had stopped. 

Now she was sitting on a stack of pillows on the floor, her upper body leaning on the couch. She looked down at Loki and moved her arm back from where she had been resting it lightly in his hair. She had been gently rubbing small circles in his scalp, she thought his breathing had gotten smoother when she had started, but maybe it was just wishful thinking on her part. 

After her discovery of what the cape had hidden she'd had what she would consider a slight melt down. She hadn't thrown up again but not for a lack of trying, there just wasn't anything to bring up. When she had returned to the doorway of her room she had come to a stop and stared at the back of the couch. She had just stared, she didn't know for how long but she didn't want to go back out there and see what had been inflicted on that child's body.

So she had gone back into her room and pulled off her now disgustingly moist clothes then pulled on warm sweats. She ignored her hair, there was nothing to do about it at this point short of a shower. She turned on her bedroom lights. Then she went through the rest of her apartment and turned on every light there too. Plus the outdoor lights. All the while she kept her eyes from landing on Loki, she kept her back to him, ignoring him.

Until she no longer could. 

She stood across the entire living room from him and still his little body's trauma was right there like it had a floodlight shining on it. Black bruises. Purple. Green and yellow. Wounds that were in all stages of healing while some had healed into scars. Long thin ones were probably lashes, round ones looked to be puncture wounds. Others looked to be burns. There were even cuts that appeared to be writings in an unknown language. He was literally injured from the bumps on the top of his head to the burns on the bottoms of his feet.

By the time Annie realized she had walked over to the couch her hand was trembling as it reached for the cape. She was crying as she pulled it back up to his neck, hiding that collar around his neck as well. As she grabbed a bunch of pillows to sit on so she was tall enough to lean over the top of Loki's head she was sobbing in both grief and pure raging hatred.

While she heard Thor walk closer she tried to sniff but her nose was still stuffy, there had been some ugly crying in there too. Plus she felt the burning of her eyes, so she was sure her eye lids were red like she had pinkeye. She probably was all blotchy faced too. Because, sure, why not look your best when you have a god in your living room? Then she felt like a horrible, shallow person for even thinking about how she looked when Loki was laying here.

Thor heard Lady Annie take a deep shaking breath. He had seen proof on her kind face that she had spent some of his time away crying. He was in awe of this woman. No lady in Asgard would shed a tear for Loki, save their mother. 

Annie tried to speak then had to clear her throat first. It was still raspy when she said, "How could anyone do this to a little kid?"

Thor cleared his own throat but for different reasons. "It was his punishment. For his crimes." 

Annie gave a noise of angry disbelief, "this is a kid. Whatever the adult Loki did, this kid doesn't deserve to be punished for his crimes."

Thor frowned. "But this is the adult Loki. Just in a child's body."

Annie turned and stood up, god or no god she stood up on tip toes to be closer to Thor's face. "Are you telling me you're not furious about this?" She stabbed a finger at Loki's body. "I know you are. Don't lie"

Thor shook his head. "Of course I am angry about what has been done to Loki. But tis' because he's my brother. And that some commoner thought to put their filthy hands on him. A Prince of Asgard." He looked at Loki with his emotions clear in his eyes and on his face. "But in Asgard crime is viewed much differently than it is here. My beliefs are based on what I have been taught all my life. Loki deserves punishment for his crimes. However were he even an adult I would have acted the same. He is my brother. I can not see him suffer. I will not."

Annie stared at Thor for a long moment, she had the feeling the god was intentionally not looking at her. Maybe he was ashamed, maybe just uncomfortable. She realized it didn't matter, not really. He was back. Something had been decided. She sighed.

"Are your friends going to help him?" She stepped slightly back, trying to give Thor room to move closer while separating her emotions from Loki. She'd only known him a couple hours and she felt like she'd been rubbed raw in that time. And she didn't even really know him.

Thor nodded though he didn't seem happy at all. His shoulders hunched as he said, "They have. They will view his wounds and determine how much aid they can provide. If needed there is a powerful Mage who is a healer in this world. He may be called upon to provide further healing."

"I'm sure Loki will need it. It's going to take a lot of time to recover from this amount of trauma." Annie watched as Thor ran a finger across Loki's cleaned face.

"Thank you for bathing him."

"Just his face. Uh, I, couldn't. I couldn't, do the rest of him." Annie pressed her hands together. "What's that around his neck?" She asked before she lost courage.

"A collar that inhibits his magic. He can't draw on it while wearing it. He's been shapeshifted into a child's form. This keeps him from changing back."

"Why does it have barbs on it? On the inside?"

Thor closed his eyes while he tried to pull his anger back. He had forgotten about the barbs. Thunder snapped outside for the first time since he arrived and the windows shook. He opened his eyes and looked down at Loki, "if he were to try to use his magic the collar would tighten. If he didn't stop it would start to move, to encircle his throat. Eventually it would slice all the way around."

"It would kill him? Slit his throat?" Annie wondered when the gruesome depravity would just numb her instead of leave her openmouthed.

"No, just wound. These punishments are not meant to kill." At Annie's huff of disbelief Thor finally turned to look at her. "Lady Annie." Thor's voice was almost kind in its gentle tone. "Loki is a god. These injuries are meant to humiliate him. Not kill."

Annie met Thor's eyes. "Your world sucks."

The god looked taken aback for a moment as the Allspeak worked to translate this, then he slowly nodded. "Yes, yes it does." He gave her a faint smile that was true. "You have done me a great favor and shown my brother a great kindness. As I have said before, we are both in your debt." He held out his hand and when Annie went to shake his she found instead that he turned hers over and kissed the back of it. "Lady Annie, you are a friend to the two Prince's of Asgard. If you ever have need of me, my world's watchman is named Heimdall. If you but just call out to him, he will hear and notify me."

Annie raised an eyebrow, "that's really, creepy."

Thor again faintly smiled, "I have heard him describe thusly many times." He turned back to Loki, kneeling down to gather the cloak together and tied it into the familiar bundle. Thor gently gathered the too thin body into his arms and stood.

Annie felt a knot in her throat pop up. With only his face peeping out, it was like Loki had just fallen asleep on the couch and Thor was going to tuck him into bed. As Thor walked past her she put a hand on his arm and stopped him. Leaning forward Annie kissed Loki's face in a small spot where the damage was least. "Bye little guy." Her throat was so tight it could only squeeze out the words as a whisper. She pulled the cape up, covering his face and making sure he was tucked safely away. Wiping her eyes with so many emotions she couldn't even sort them out she looked up at Thor. He was staring at her with an expression of confused contemplation. As if she were a puzzle he had never seen before. "What?"

Slowly Thor shook his head. "I wish I had the time to learn more about you, Lady Annie. You are a woman truly worth discovering."

Annie felt her checks flush. "There's nothing to learn about me. I'm pretty simple actually. I don't like people hurting kids. Most people don't." She glanced down at Loki. "If you ever need help again, you know where I am." She looked up at Thor with a wry twist of her lips. "Babysitting or anything."

He nodded. 

She moved to the door and opened it, stepping back to let Thor through first. She reached over and flipped the balcony light off, she didn't want anyone seeing the god go flying off her balcony.

He turned and stepped into the shadows and in a moment he was gone.

She shut the door and this time she locked it. Turning she leaned against the door and took in the deepest breath she could and held it for as long as she could. Finally she had to let it out in a rushing gasp.

"What the hell just happened?" She sank to the floor to sit cross legged and rested her elbows on her knees so she could drop her head on the palms of her hands. She rocked slightly, eyes closed as she recognized a headache pounding behind her eyes. "You just had a god in your house. Two of them." She gave a weak huff of laughter and sat up to look around at her living room. "Yep, this living room right here. Thank god its clean." Now her laugh sounded slightly giddy to her ears, "thank god? Ha, good one. Thank the god of clean houses."

Something came to her mind and she cringed. "Goddess of household appliance repairs? Really? That's the best you could come up with Annie? You are such a freakin' dork." 

She heaved herself to her feet. "Granted, you weren't exactly prepared for godly company." She grabbed all the towels and went to throw them into her apartment's small stacked washer and drier. She used the hot water setting and poured in bleach even though not all the towels were white. She didn't care. Maybe these would just end up being car wash rags or ones she used to wipe up spills. Really nice rags but she wasn't sure she could use them on her body. She'd have to think about it another day. 

"You'll have to prepare for a lot more conversations now that the possibilities are out of this world." She snorted. "Out of this world, ha."

She left the lights on as she padded into the kitchen. Filling a giant mug with a decal of a smiling pig on it with tap water she shoved it in the microwave for a couple minutes while pulling out a box of chamomile tea. She fiddled with the tag and string while she waited for the ding then grabbed the handle and carefully pulled the mug out. She stood watching as she dunked the tea bag over and over. 

Annie raised a hand to her face, she wiped at the tears. Leaving the bag in the mug and the mug on the counter she turned and walked in to her bedroom. She pulled her sweats off and headed into her bathroom. She needed to take a shower and try to scrub this days depraved evilness down the drain. She didn't think it would come off her skin but she was damn well going to try and scrub hard enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully only a couple more chapters and Loki will finally meet Annie.


	8. Chapter 8

Immediately after Thor left, Tony and Steve began intensely discussing how they were going to keep the building safe while Bruce was reminding them that he still needed to be able to have access to medical equipment. They found a solution and worked on tweaking it to make sure it would work for all of them.

Tony had J.A.R.V.I.S. shut down the Avenger floors, it wasn't difficult, the three of them were the only ones there today. No one else was given access. Not even Pepper or the other Avengers excepting Thor. Which shouldn't be a problem since Pepper was in Japan for a conference and everyone else was out on various missions or other business. Anyone else trying to contact them got to talk to J.A.R.V.I.S.

Steve was making sure that there was no way Loki would be able to escape their custody. He prepared for every contingency and had J.A.R.V.I.S. plan out multiple scenarios with solutions. This situation was not going to fall apart on his watch.

By the time Thor returned they had at least prepared the medical space and Bruce had his equipment laid out. He had been thinking about what Thor had said and while he was also feeling anxious, it was for an entirely different reason. He knew Thor. Or at least he knew what Thor wasn't. And Thor wasn't normally an emotional person unless it was all the positive ones. This time he had been destroyed. And for him to feel that deep, something very bad had happened. Add to that the injuries he had described, cuts, bruises and burns? None of those were good but add all of them together and they could add up to some serious complications.

Steve was waiting on the roof when Thor landed. He took note of the lack of the red cape flowing out behind Thor but rather that it was tied in a bundle that was slung over his shoulder. He also took note of how gentle Thor was when he brought it from his back to his front and cradled it. Suddenly Steve felt a very unsettled feeling in his chest and when he looked into Thor's eyes Steve wondered if the world had tilted slightly. Was Loki in that tiny bundle?

Thor said nothing as he followed the Captain into the Tower and remained stoic as they stepped into the elevator. J.A.R.V.I.S. didn't need to be told where to take them however Thor felt an uneasy feeling come over him when the metal conveyance did not stop on the floor that he knew held the healing ward. As they continued down the feeling increased along with a growing one of distrust mixed with a growing hurt.

When the doors opened Steve waited for Thor to step out, when the god made no move to exit Steve went out first. He felt Thor follow rather than heard him, he was deceptively quiet when he chose to be. 

They entered a windowless space. They were in an unlit observation area, the computers off, the two chairs still covered in their protective plastic. No one had ever sat at these terminals. Beyond this ten foot observation room was a clear wall allowing anyone to see into every corner of the two rooms beyond. The one on the right was small, a bed and a toilet were the only accommodations.

The room to the left was an obvious medical room. It looked like an actual surgical suite, overhead lights, a medical bed, the walls covered in glass fronted cabinets stocked with supplies. Medical equipment sealed in plastic, these too had never been used. Inside this area both Bruce and Tony waited. The double doors stood open.

Thor looked at the two men. As the doors to the elevator had opened he had known what he was going to find and yet seeing it still caused him pain. When he spoke his voice could be compared to the low thunder that was rolling through the city above their heads.

"You would have me put my brother in a cell?"

Bruce and Tony didn't know what to say. Since the moment J.A.R.V.I.S. had told them Thor had arrived they had been waiting in strained silence. However they had been expecting to see some version of Loki come walking out with Steve and Thor. To not even see Loki was freaking Tony out and making Bruce edgy. The bundle being so carefully carried by Thor held their eyes.

It was Steve that answered, quietly, trying to smooth over a situation that was quickly becoming unpredictable and threatening. "Thor, we had to take precautions. We have no idea what we're dealing with. You understand we're responsible for the safety of not only everyone in this building but everyone in this city. We have to be careful."

Thor turned his head to look at Steve. The Avengers had become familiar with a Thor that was relaxed and easy in their presence. This was not that Thor. This was the Thor that was a Prince of Asgard and was used to never having to repeat himself twice. An arrogant god who expected to rule the Nine Realms, to be the next AllFather, the most powerful being in the realms. This was the god who was the protector of earth and therefore owned it.

"Have I ever given you cause to doubt my words? To think I would lie to you? That I would put you in danger by my actions?" Thor's words were deceptively quiet. He looked back to Stark and Banner. All he wanted to do was turn and leave this place. Suddenly the slight weight in his arms seemed to grow heavier than he could bear. 

Bruce stepped out of the room, moving carefully forward as if he were trying not to spook Thor. Hands held out low he kept the palms facing out, he gave his bottom lips a rapid lick before speaking. "Hey, I know this doesn't look like the best conditions but first off, the medical equipment is top of the line."

Tony had followed Bruce out of the room to stand off to the side. "You know I don't have shit in my building."

For a moment Bruce pressed his lips together in annoyance then continued. "This has everything that the med bay has upstairs. I can treat him just as well here as I can upstairs."

Tony again spoke up, "And you wanted this kept between us." He raised his arms and motioned to encompass the area. "I've already had J.A.R.V.I.S. lock this floor down. We're the only ones who can access it, no one else can get to Loki. He's safe here. That's what you wanted, right?" Tony's voice was remarkedly calm and smirk free. He stepped back and this time held out his arm in a sweeping gesture to the medical room.

Thor understood everything that the men had said. And yet he still felt a sense of betrayal because it seemed to have been done behind his back. Without him. He shook his head, trying to clear his emotions. He had planned battles, he knew this had to be done while he was away. He had been retrieving Loki. And the last the Avengers had seen of Loki, he had been leading an army to enslave their world. Plans had needed to be made. Thor knew this. However it still didn't make him feel any better as he walked forward and into the medical room.

Bruce looked quickly between Steve and Tony as he was following right behind Thor. A danger averted. This time. He switched into his professional doctor mode and motioned Thor to lay the bundle on the bed. He had yet to mentally except that the pitifully small package was the god Loki.

Tony and Steve had also entered after Thor, there was plenty of room in the med bay. They moved forward, Steve moving to stand near the foot and Tony next to Bruce. Each man was tense, as though they expected Loki to leap out at them and attack.

Thor thought about warning them but decided not to. He was feeling vindictive and allowed himself to use Loki to teach his friends a lesson in not doubting his words. And to also be just slightly cruel, he was still a god after all. He untied the corners of his cape and pulled it gently away from Loki then with a deceptively careless movement, he tossed the cloth back, revealing Loki's entire body and waited for the three mortals to react.

Steve reacted the least. He had been a soldier. He had seen the worst that war could do. He knew what evil men could do, so he only rocked back on his heels as though taking a physical blow. A hand went up to cover his mouth while his eyes grew huge as they scanned Loki's body taking an assessment of the damage.

Bruce had a visceral reaction. His eyes were jerking over Loki's body but they kept being pulled back to those stitches. There was a noise coming from his mouth as his head shook back and forth and his arms rose above his head. He was struggling to speak while breathing. "No, no, Tony. No, I'm, Tony, I'm not, I'm not that kind of doctor. Not this kind, no. Not, call Strange. Call Strange." He was backing out of the room still unable to tear his eyes from Loki.

Tony had taken one look at Loki and decided that he was going to pretend that he hadn't seen anything. He struggled to shove it down deep. Maybe just go with what he had seen wasn't real. Yeah, just a really good movie prop or something because otherwise he would have to think about kids and torture and kids with their mouths sewn shut. And he had bigger problems to worry about. Like keeping Bruce from becoming a bigger problem.

"Easy, easy, buddy. You're okay." Tony was trying to grab Bruce's arms with out actually grabbing him because he didn't want to make Hulk feel threatened. "Just take some deep breaths." Tony was working on getting Bruce turned around and out of the room, trying to break that damn eye contact between Bruce and Loki. 

Bruce gabbed Tony's arms as he backed into the doorframe. "Not that kind of doctor. Tony." Bruce tried to look over Tony's shoulder but his friends moved to block that, he wasn't about to let that happen.

"I know, I got it. Lets just get you out of here." Tony kept moving Bruce out of the room. "J.A.R.V.I.S. get Strange over here."

"He has already been notified, sir."

Steve didn't want to crowd Bruce but having him Hulk out down here was one threat he hadn't thought to prepare for. Steve glanced at Thor then did a double take. The god was simply standing there with his arms folded, watching the scene being played out before him like it was an uninteresting play.

Steve felt his anger spike. "You could have given Bruce some warning." Thor's eyes glanced at Steve then back to where Tony was crouching down next to Bruce who was sitting in a corner. Arms over his head he was pulled tightly into himself. "He didn't do anything to deserve this." Steve motioned his hand at the two men. Tony's voice could be heard murmuring in soothing tones.

Thor's jaw muscled tightened for a moment while his lips pressed together. He took a deep breath and looked down at Loki. His brothers face was looking up but his body was on it's side, curled up like a newborn babe. Unfolding massive arms he brought one hand down to push a few lose hairs off Loki's face, his touch light. He looked back up and met Steve's angry eyes then gave a single nod, "You are correct Captain." He looked to Bruce. "I allowed my emotions to over ride my good sense. I will apologize to Banner. When he is more himself."

Anything else that might have been said was stopped by the orange portal that began sparking and glowing in the room. Strange stepped through followed by Wang. Both men held their hands at the ready as the portal snapped shut behind them.

"J.A.R.V.I.S. said Loki was here." Strange took in a green tinted Bruce huddled in the corner with Stark trying to calm him down and Thor and Steve in the medical bay with tension vibrating off them. But it was the slight figure on the bed that trapped and held his gaze. "So it's true. He's been de-aged." The voice held a bit of awe and a lot of relief.

Steve and Thor watched Strange walk into the med bay, Tony threw a glance over his shoulder before going back to talking quietly to Bruce who hadn't raised his head. Wong carefully followed Strange, looking suspiciously at Loki. 

Even with Strange's medical training there was a moment where Thor and Steve saw the impact of Loki's injuries cross his face. He more than any of them understood what those injuries were. Speaking to Wong over his shoulder he said, "The situation here is fine. Go back to the Sanctum."

"You sure?" Wong still looked at Loki distrustfully. 

Thor shifted on his feet and Strange raised up a hand to the god while looking at him reassuringly. "Yes, Wong. I'm sure. There's no danger here." Wong nodded, still not looking totally convinced but he stepped back to create and step through a portal.

Thor ran a thumb over Loki's forehead while he asked, "you will help him?"

Strange tilted his head, "of course." He looked down with an expression of curiosity, "The collar suppresses his magic?"

"Yes."

Strange reached a hand out and lifted first one then the other of Loki's eye lids. He looked at Thor with a questioning expression. "He's not unconscious from his injuries. He's drugged."

Thor nodded without lifting his eyes from Loki, "I needed him to remain still and quiet for an unknown amount of time."

Strange's voice had an edge, "How long has he been out?"

"Three days. With at least another three to go." Now he met the Wizard's eyes with no regret. "I couldn't leave Asgard right after removing him from the prison, it would have been too obvious. And I didn't know how long before I could leave. I needed to hide him and not be concerned about repeatedly having to return to him." Thor raised his chin. "You can do your healing with no concern that he will be in any pain."

Strange didn't comment on the fact that he had been wondering how he was going to keep Loki from waking at the pain that this procedure was going to cause him. Looking back down he asked his next question. "And the bracelet?

He was referring to a gold and black metal bracelet create in the shape of a delicately thin snake that was coiled several times around one of Loki's wrists. It was tight enough that it wouldn't come off. Two tiny emeralds were placed as eyes.

"It's an invisibility charm Loki made when we were boys. He gifted it to me, however I rapidly outgrew it and he refused to make me another. I put it on him and it recognized its maker right away. Now he's the only one who will be able to remove it."

Steve looked at Loki then Thor. "Uh, but we can see him."

Thor raised an eyebrow in very faint amusement. "Invisible to Heimdall."

"You said Heimdall can still see you though. And he has to know that Loki is with you."

Thor looked uncomfortable, "the Watcher and I have an agreement. There are times he will not watch me for several hours." There was a faint blush to Thor's cheeks. "He knows I'm here at the Tower. That is all." There was a tone that made it clear not to ask any more about what the agreement was. 

Strange looked down at the mess that was Loki's face. "Alright now. I want you to step out, you can't help me, you'll only get in my way." Strange began going through the medical supplies getting what he needed and setting the items on a surgical tray. Everything still sealed, there was only the sound of crinkling plastic.

Steve stepped out but Thor remained. When Strange became aware he frowned. "You too, Odinson."

"I can assist you."

"No, you can't." The voice was firm. Strange came over to look at Thor, right in the face with a hard expression. "You may be a god in your world but I'm a god in mine. I'm a surgeon, and a damn good one. Now this isn't my specialty, it's actually insultingly below my abilities, so trust me when I say that I know what I'm doing. It'll take a couple hours but I'll have him repaired and ready to recover." He nodded his head towards the door. "Now I need you to leave. You're taking up my time when I could be working on your brother. Unless you want to waste more time." 

Thor recognized the arrogance in Strange's voice. He had heard it so many times in his own. He gave a faint lift of one side of his mouth then bent down and kissed Loki's forehead. Without a backward look he walked out and J.A.R.V.I.S. shut then sealed the door behind him. The surgical room cycled sterilized air into the room then pressurized. 

Tony had gotten Bruce up and into a chair in the small observation area. When Thor walked in Tony gave him a glare, "that was a dick move, Thor." He was leaning against the counter, his back to the rooms, Tony had no desire to know what was going on behind him.

Thor frowned then nodded as he understood the meaning of what Tony said. He glanced at the Captain who was standing in a dim corner with his arms folded, watching while his face was neutral.

Thor looked to Banner who was sitting hunched over with his elbows on his knees and his head resting in his hands. The healer was still breathing hard but had calmed down some, at least he was quiet and not talking to himself any longer.

"I must apologize, Banner." Thor began but was swiftly cut off when Bruce looked up at him.

"I'm sorry, Thor. I'm so sorry." Bruce's voice was broken and there was an expression of misery in his eyes.

"What?" Thor looked to Tony in confusion and was met by that man's glare of contempt. Thor looked back to Banner. "Why do you apologize to me?"

Bruce was shaking his head. "I'm sorry I couldn't help him." He lowered his head back into his hands. "I should have, should have been able to."

Thor knelt at Bruce's feet and set a huge hand on the man's shoulder. "No. No, you have no need to apologize to me. I am apologizing to you for my behavior. I should have given you a warning of Loki's injuries, I should not have sent you into such distress Banner. I am sorry for this. Tis' not your fault but mine. If I had of given you warning I am certain you would have been able to tend to Loki and we would have had no need to call on Mage Strange. Another fault to apologize for. I am truly sorry, Banner."

Bruce nodded, he took in a shuddering breath as he did but he didn't raise his head.

Thor stood and met Tony's eyes, there was a slight sign of forgiveness in them. When Thor looked to Steve he got a nod of approval. Thor turned to look back at Strange who was now dressed in the green garb of earth's healers and felt only concern for his brother.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Description of Strange tending to Loki's wounds.

It had taken Strange nearly four hours to complete his work on Loki to his satisfaction. Since he was the only one qualified to be in the room Strange did everything, at least he knew it was done perfectly. He had taken a visual assessment of Loki's injuries to determine if there were any obvious external injuries that needed to be attended to first. There weren't, and he had J.A.R.V.I.S. do a scan for internal injuries, as far as the AI could determine there was only severe bruising, but no hemorrhaging. 

Once he was ready to begin he spoke, "J.A.R.V.I.S. play my music selection number three."

"Yes sir."

Classic rock began playing from a hidden speaker and Strange began nodding to the beat. It was a station he had made up that had more upbeat songs, he knew he would need them.

After sterilizing the area Strange began examining the stitches which appeared to be made out of a very heavy duty thread. He took a scalpel and, not sensing any magical properties to the thread, sliced one of them. With little resistance he then cut every single thread, his hands steady as he had carefully fit the blade between Loki's lips. That was the easy part. The difficult part came next.

He had to pull each individual thread through the tender skin. Once more steady hands and a detached manner carried him through until he had a pile of black, bloody strings piled on a piece of gauze. He cleaned the ragged holes left behind then moved on to the next injury.

Cuts that needed to be cleaned and stitched. Pus filled injuries lanced and drained then covered with bandages. He worked methodically from Loki's face downward. Cleaning wounds but otherwise leaving the filth behind. Strange's concern was to clean the wounds, the rest of the body was someone else's worry. As long as the bandages were kept dry Loki could be given a sponge bath. 

He stitched cuts and puncture wounds. Cleaned scrapes and abrasions. Applied thick pasty, cream then covered lightly with gauze or bandages. Soon there was more skin covered than showing.

His hands didn't pause as they cleaned the runes that had been carved into Loki's abdomen. These wounds were scabbed over, Strange simply rubbed in a cream, he didn't cover them. They looked like they would scar but were nearly healed at this point. He had no reaction to the damage.

This changed when Strange got to Loki's genitals. Here he actually took a moment to stare off to the side, into the distance. Not because of the injuries themselves but because of the intent of those who had inflicted the damage. It was only a handful of seconds but it centered Strange enough so that when he went back to work he was once more professionally dispassionate. He thoroughly cleaned everywhere then applied burn creams and light, loose cloths. He even added a very small amount of healing magic to this area even though he had no idea how it would react with Loki's own magic. The collar couldn't cut off Loki's own internal magic, hopefully the two magics wouldn't compete with each other.

Once he reached Loki's feet he gently rolled the boy using Thor's cape. He prepared to work from Loki's feet back to his head. Strange cleaned the burns and cuts to the bottom of the little feet, applied burn cream then wrapped them with gentle hands that moved without conscious thought. He moved up the back of Loki's legs, tending those injuries. Reaching his buttocks he once more carefully did a complete cleaning and applied cream. It was when he got to Loki's back that Strange's mask nearly slipped off completely. 

Here the flesh was still weeping blood. It was filthy, the smell of infection was nearly overpowering. Deep slices were in the flesh, crisscrossing. There were burns. All with dirt and pieces of grit impacted deep inside.

Strange grabbed several bottles of sterile solution and began to clean the wounds then suddenly slammed the bottle back on the small table hard enough to slosh the solution out of the top. He couldn't see behind him but everyone had focused their attention on him. 

Cleaning wounds was so below his skill set. He couldn't remember the last time he had done so much of this type of work. Now it struck him like a slap, he was used to getting a clean, sterilized body to work on. There were no signs of humanity to disturb his professional façade. He never had to even think about the human beneath his hands, they were simply another addition to his bank account. But this, this was depravity screaming right in his face.

Strange deeply brought the sterile smelling air into his lungs and held it. He closed his eyes and worked on centering himself. He went through his entire meditative routine, taking his time to do it correctly, not rushing anything. Opening his eyes he was relaxed, letting his held breath out in a controlled manner. He looked down at Loki's back and thought about the mix of his magic with Asgardian magic. "What the hell."

He pulled his sling ring from a pocket and slid it on. He lowered both hands to several inches above Loki and concentrated. He thought of earth, of the power of the earth and its elements. Bringing the earth together, in harmony, keeping it in its place rather than in a foreign state. He watched as the dirt and grit rose from Loki's wounds, he pulled tighter, lifting every grain no matter how deeply embedded or heavy with blood. With a heavier pull he removed the finer grains that were on the pale skin. With a thought and finger motion the detritus floated over to an open biohazard bag and dropped inside. Looking at Loki's back Strange allowed himself a self-satisfied smirk as he saw the beautifully clean wounds. Now he could get back to the work that at least was slightly worth his time.

Most of these injuries were closed with stitches, easy enough. Loki would need to stay laying on his stomach for the next few days to allow for healing, but with his own accelerated healing he should be fine. Especially if he would be drugged and not moving anyway.

Now Strange was back at Loki's head. With careful fingers he ran them all over the small skull. He felt the knots and open wounds. He also saw the condition of Loki's long hair. Getting up Strange looked around for a few moments, opening cabinets and drawers until he found what he was looking for. He opened the box and removed the item from the plastic packaging, set everything up and after plugging it in, went about shaving Loki's head.

The long matted locks were dropped to the floor with indifferent hands. Strange left several inches poking up like bristles since he could still see the damage to the scalp. Once he was done he ran a gentle hand over Loki's head, open wounds, scars and scabbed over injuries were now clearly visible. Several large bruised bumps stood out as well. Strange took care of all these injuries, only several requiring stitches, the rest able to be left to heal on their own.

Stepping back Strange allowed himself a feeling of satisfaction at a job well done. Actually, excellently done considering that nothing he did was anything that required his caliber of skill. Any first year resident with a school nurse could have handled the procedures.

Yanking off his gloves and scrubs he said, "J.A.R.V.I.S. open the doors and tell Odinson he can come stomping in."

There was the hiss of depressurization and Thor was squeezing through at almost the same time. Everyone else came in at a more normal pace, Bruce was the last with Tony looking over his shoulder to make sure his friend was okay.

Thor stared down at Loki, arriving at his brother's feet and slowly moving upwards. The body was covered in white bandages which made the dirty skin between stand out even more. Thor's jaws tensed at the bruises on the bony hips, the clear thumb prints. When he arrived at Loki's back his hand hovered over it, there was no place for it to land, no place to touch. 

Finally Thor allowed himself to acknowledge the shorn head. One big hand tentatively touched the spikes, a finger rubbing back and forth over them. His voice was full of a quiet wonder when he spoke, "He's never had his hair worn in this style."

Tony spoke up under his breath, "Kinda need electricity to use electric hair clippers."

Thor raised his eyes to Strange. "Thank you for what you have done here. I owe you a debt."

Strange gave a nod of acknowledgement. He wouldn't brush or dismiss the debt away. He knew the value of having the Prince and future king of Asgard owing him a favor. "The injuries are brutal but not fatal."

Thor nodded. His fingers still brushed through Loki's spikes.

Tony spoke up. "But he's not cleared to leave, right? He still needs to recover."

Strange nodded. "Of course. He has a long way to go to fully recover. Even recovering enough to be able to walk is going to take time," Strange held up a hand to stop Thor's comments that were already forming. "Even with his Asgardian healing."

Bruce came closer to the small figure on the bed. "He'll need an IV, catheter, wound care, dressing changes. He's still in need of full time care." Bruce's eyes skimmed over Loki's form. "Not to mention he needs nutritional supplements. Who knows how long since, you know, he could," Bruce made a motion to his own mouth. "You know, eat." 

Strange spoke quietly, soothingly, "I can come back and take care of those duties."

"No." Bruce's voice was sharp and he sucked in a shuddering breath then spoke more evenly. "No, I can do those things. If I can get help setting everything up I'll be fine." He nodded in a jerky manner that made everyone wonder how much of his words were lies but no one said anything.

It took a short while to get the medical area cleaned up. Thor gently picked Loki up and carried him into the cell and sat on the bed. He had Loki covered in a folded sheet, he stared down at his brother while the others quickly threw everything they had used into the medical waste incinerator. They wanted nothing left to show that anyone had been medically cared for. Only Thor's cape had been tossed into a corner by the time he carried Loki back in.

He didn't think the IV needle would pierce Loki's skin and he hid how unsettled and disturbed he was when he saw the needle easily slide in. Bruce taped it firmly down, he'd learned his lesson after having Tony rip out several IV's after waking up disoriented. Thor learned how primitive Midgard's healing actually could be as he watched in horror as the catheter was inserted.

All the men winced while it was being done and Tony said, "Yeah, that's something I never want to see again."

J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice came over the speakers. "Mr. Odinson your fathers messengers are on the party deck. They seem rather adamant in wanting to speak with you."

Tony spoke up, "If those crows shit on my deck again you're cleaning it up, Point Break." He pointed an accusing finger at Thor. "Seriously, that stuffs like a biohazard."

Thor frowned while he ran a thumb over the holes that unevenly lined Loki's mouth. "I have to return to Asgard."

Tony and Steve exchanged looks of concern while Bruce just stared at Thor with an expression close to panic. His eyes dropped to Loki then jumped back up to Thor. Strange raised an eyebrow but remained quiet.

Tony's voice was disbelieving, "Why? Why would you leave Loki here?" The unspoken part was wondering why Thor would leave Loki here with them. 

"Our father doesn't know that Loki is here. He thinks that I am searching for him. He also doesn't know that I'm aware of Loki's," Thor waved a hand encompassing Loki, "condition. I'm to believe that Loki has escaped on his own."

Steve spoke up, "so Odin doesn't expect you to actually find Loki. Because he has you looking for an adult instead of a kid."

Thor shook his head. "No, but I am not to know that so I am expected to be out searching the realms for him. That is what I will be doing as soon as I return to Asgard to tell Odin that he is not on Midgard. However I will return here as soon as I am able. Within a week at most." 

Tony tilted his head, "You're willing to lie to daddy Odin for Loki?"

Thor stared at Tony. "I'm willing to do much more than lie for Loki." Thor turned his attention to Strange. "If you can determine whether you are able to remove the binding collar it would be helpful. Once its off Loki will return to himself and we will be able to seek sanctuary somewhere else."

Strange looked doubtful. "Yeah, I'm not sure I want to do that. Returning Loki to his full magical abilities doesn't exactly sound like a good idea."

"Yeah, no, bad idea. Very bad idea." Bruce added, he was rubbing his hands together.

Thor frowned, "Just see if it can be done. We can discuss it more when I return." He ran his hand over Loki's hair once more then leaned down to kiss his temple. The other men were once more reminded of the gods feelings for his younger brother.

Thor walked out of the room and entered the elevator. He turned to watch the doors shut on the four men that he was reluctantly trusting his brothers life to.


	10. Chapter 10

Thor returned four days later. He came in the late afternoon, wearing his normal Asgardian attire including a new red cape to replace the one he had left behind. He hung Mjolnir from his belt as he had hurried into the elevator, immediately asking J.A.R.V.I.S. to take him to Loki.

The AI had actually sounded apologetic when he had spoken, "Sir has asked me to have you come to the common area. Both Natasha and Agent Barton are in residence and I believe Sir feels it would be suspicious if you were to not immediately appear there."

Thor pressed his lips together but nodded. "Yes, very well. How is Loki?

"Still unconscious, Mr. Odinson. However Dr. Banner has said that he expects him to awaken within the next several hours."

The elevator doors opened and Thor forced himself to exit with at least a slight smile on his face. He had no desire what so ever to see anyone except Loki. 

These past days, though few, had been emotionally draining for him. He was not the brother who was used to hiding his feelings, to being deceptive and to keeping secrets. And to everyone in Asgard this had been obvious. He had only gotten away with it by letting the one emotion that he was known for cover for all these others. Anger. He had come across as angry at Loki for escaping, the guards for allowing it to happen and even at Odin for expecting him to spend his time running through the Nine Realms looking for a shapeshifting trickster.

The only one who had looked at him with speculation had been Frigga and he had made sure to be with others when he was in her company. She had simply asked him to take care and to bring Loki back home. Thor couldn't tell if she knew of Loki's condition and treatment and he couldn't bring himself to ask her. He simply didn't want to know the answer.

He had been expected to be on his way to Alfheim when he had told Heimdall to send him to Midgard instead. The Watcher had said nothing.

Now Thor walked over to the couch where Nat was sitting and gave her a bone crushing hug when she stood to greet him.

"Hey good looking." She called out with her knowing smile. She kissed his cheek then wiped her lipstick kiss off with her thumb. Leaning back she studied his face. "What's wrong?" She asked quietly.

Thor had decided to cover his emotions here the same way as he had at home but with several different emotions rather than just one. He moved to give Barton a one armed bro hug just the way he had been taught as he answered. "You've heard of Loki's escape, yes?"

Clint snorted, "yeah. Took a whole day to get it out of Cap, he said he didn't want to set my recovery back. Like another chance to put an arrow in that fucker's eye would set me back."

Thor flinched, he tried to hide it but he couldn't help it.

Nat saw it and pulled him down to the couch to sit between her and Clint. "How are you doing?"

"As well as I can, I've been searching for him. Without letting the other Realms know that he has escaped." Thor folded his hands in his lap, trying not to clench them. "Odin is not pleased. With anyone."

Clint grinned, "I bet not. So, an inside job?"

"It's unknown at this time. The Captain of the Guards is handling his own investigation and reporting directly to Odin." Thor tried to relax and failed. He was aware that Lady Natasha was closely observing him. He needed to give her more reasons as to why he would be uncomfortable with this conversation. "Odin does not inform me of those findings."

"Ouch." Clint wasn't subtle. "That's gotta hurt. What's up with that?"

"I do not know for certain however I believe that Odin feels that I am not entirely, unhappy, about Loki's escape."

Clint's voice lowered as he growled out, "Why not? I bet you would be if it was Asgard that he tried to take over."

Thor turned his head to meet Clint's hostile gaze. The archer had a legitimate reason to hate Loki and Thor couldn't fault the man for his feelings. However the archer was also unaware of the torture that Loki had been submitted to and Thor's anger bubbled up into his own voice. "I have no fight with Loki serving a sentence in the dungeons of Asgard. However I have never agreed with our father's belief that physical punishment is the best way to get Loki's compliance. Thus he knows that I would not begrudge Loki his freedom from torture." Thor had deliberately used that word to test the archers reaction.

Clint shrugged and stood so he could walk into the kitchen where he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. As he did he tossed over his shoulder, "Well I do. That asshole deserves whatever your old man can come up with. He tried to enslave my world."

Thor stood and turned to face Clint. "You have no idea what torture-"

Clint raised a hand and his voice, cutting Thor off. "I don't care!" He shouted. He pulled himself back under control when he saw Nat raise an eyebrow at him, her version of giving him a slap upside his head. Licking his suddenly dry lips he finished, "he made me kill friends and coworkers. I can't forgive that. So if you don't want me to try and kill him then I suggest he doesn't come anywhere near me." Clint twisted the cap off and took several long swallows.

Thor unclenched his fists but they went right back. He knew he needed to leave right now before he said something that would be too revealing. "Lady Natasha." He gave her a nod and forced himself not to run to the elevator. He waited for the doors to close before saying, "J.A.R.V.I.S. please take me to my brother."

"Yes Mr. Odinson."

"Who else is with him?"

"Doctor Banner is with young mister Odinson."

Thor's lips twitched involuntarily. Loki would be livid to hear himself referred to by that name. He would have to remember to call him that, it would be worth getting stabbed for.

When the doors opened he stepped out and saw Banner in the medical room with Loki. Walking closer Thor saw that Banner was leaning against a counter, staring at Loki. The healer looked up at Thor with a deeply contemplative expression that slowly cleared as he realized who was walking towards him. 

Standing upright he gave Thor a tired smile. "Hey, you're back a couple days early."

Thor nodded as he moved to stand where he could look down at Loki who was covered to his neck with a white sheet and thin blanket. The bed was at an angle so Lok was sitting up slightly, his head cushioned by a pillow that was blindingly bright compared to him. On one small finger was an oxygen monitor. Loki's lips were slightly parted, his lips dry and cracked.

"I was able to get away sooner than expected." The truth was he had thrown a temper tantrum and walked out. Declaring he was going to Alfheim had been a distraction that he hoped would allow him to have a few hours, maybe even a day here with his brother.

"How has he been? J.A.R.V.I.S. says you believe he will awaken soon?" Thor ran his hands over Loki's shorn hair, it poked his palm and fingers.

"There's a few signs, involuntary twitches really. When we turn him. He healed a few cuts that we had to remove stitches from, there were some indications he felt the pain." Bruce stood back from the bed a few feet, he had been taking care of Loki while Thor was gone and still hadn't gotten comfortable with the god even though he was child sized. Now that Loki was waking, he was relieved that Thor was back.

"And his other injuries?" Thor pulled the sheet down to Loki's stomach, the majority of wounds were healed to bruises, scars or had at least closed so that they were no longer bleeding. Thor was disappointed. All but the deepest cuts should have been gone, with not even a scar left behind to mar the skin.

"Healing. He should be fine in a couple days. Good to go." There was an unspoken message in Bruce's words though the voice was softly spoken. 

Thor glanced up at the healer then grabbed a rolling chair and pulled it bedside. Pulling the sheet and blanket back up Thor slipped one hand into Loki's while putting the other back on his brothers head. He looked at the small hand, it was dirty, the nails torn and split, a few blackened. He was still filthy, no one had bathed him. Thor looked to Loki's mouth, the holes were healed, only faint scars marking the worst ones which were the ones in the middle. With one hand Thor ran his thumb over the back of Loki's hand while with the other he pushed his fingers through Loki's hair, making circles on his scalp. 

"As soon as he awakens he should be able to help us get the collar off. Then he will be able to shift back to his natural state." Thor was aware of Banner folding his arms across his chest, the man was clearly uncomfortable with this thought. Thor sought to ease any fears. "I believe Loki will be willing to forgo any hostilities, Banner. And I am here to make sure of it. You have no cause to fear him."

Bruce nodded but was chewing on his bottom lip. He was obviously still worried. He seemed relieved when the elevator opened and they saw Tony step out.

"Hey Point Break! You have no idea what the going rate for a babysitter in this part of the city is." Tony grinned. "You just might need to break out some of that Asgardian gold." Tony walked in, stopping at the foot of Loki's bed. Thor looked slightly confused and Tony was quick to wave a dismissive hand. "I'm kidding. You couldn't afford me anyway." 

Turning to Bruce he asked, "So what's the verdict? How's the kid today?" Tony's eyes slid back to Loki.

"Like I was just telling Thor, he's doing as expected. Healing well. He should be waking up at any time now." Bruce was still standing with his arms folded, now he was raising himself up on his tip toes then rocking back on his heels. Tony knew this was a nervous tick of Bruce's, done when he was thinking about something that was making him increasingly uncomfortable.

Tony tilted his head. "But not yet ready to leave, right? I mean, we can't make that call until he wakes up and we run some tests, right?"

Bruce's eyes darted from Tony to Loki to Thor then back to Loki. "I'm not really sure what tests we, uh, could do. There's nothing to compare them to."

Tony looked surprised. "Come on. Don't you want to be the first to gather medical information on an Asgardian kid? This is new science, bro. No one has this information. You and me would be the first."

Bruce didn't look convinced, he shrugged. "Maybe. We'll have to see. Thor was sounding like he wanted to leave right away."

Tony turned his head to look at Thor in surprise. "You want to leave? Come on, stick around. No point in taking off before he's fully recovered."

Bruce looked really uncomfortable. "Tony." His voice had the tone of someone who had gone over something before. "Steve and I have already talked with you about this. They can't stay here. If S.H.I.E.L.D. finds out that we've been harboring a fugitive, Loki for God's sake, you know what they'll do."

Tony turned to squarely face his friend, he too had made his points repeatedly. "No, Bruce. What exactly will they do? What can they do? Nothing that my army of lawyers can't get us out of and tie S.H.I.E.L.D. up in court for years. They're the ones who want me to build new toys for them. You forget, I don't need anything from them." Tony pointed at Loki with a stabbing finger. "And I don't sign off on torture. Ever. I don't care who it is. And you know on this planet and outside of this Tower, S.H.I.E.L.D. will find them. And you know torture in the form of experimentation will be in Loki's future and papa Odin will probably give his blessing."

Thor had remained quiet and tried to keep his face neutral while the two friends had verbally sparred standing on opposite sides of Loki's bed. Now he spoke up. "Friend Tony, rest easy. It is my hope that once Loki awakens he will be able to determine how he can shift back into his natural form. Then I can return to Asgard and petition the AllFather to allow him to be released from his physical punishment, at the least. If that is not possible then we will travel to another Realm where we can find sanctuary."

"And someone will be willing to go against Odin and offer you a place to hide?" Tony stared intensely at Thor.

Thor hesitated then nodded. He opened his mouth to speak but what he would have said was never uttered. He felt Loki's hand twitch in his and rose to his feet, sending the rolling stool crashing back into a wall. At the noise Loki's head moved, his eyebrows rose slightly and again his hand moved in Thor's.

Tony moved nearer, leaning over to get a better look at Loki's face. "How fast is he going to wake up?"

"The potion is meant to wear off in moments so that the person is able to move quickly if needed." Thor held Loki's hand in the flat of his palm, the fingers were flexing, grasping. 

Loki's eyes were rapidly moving under his eyelids. His breathing was increasing. Bruce finally moved closer, unclipping the oxygen monitor from Loki's finger then he found himself staring down at Loki, he wanted to back away but couldn't. The scientist in him just wouldn't allow the frightened man inside to override the chance to see this. "What is the, uh, potions purpose?" He couldn't believe he was talking about potions.

Thor glanced at the healer with an expression that was slightly awkward then looked back to Loki. "Its purpose is for when surgery is needed on the battlefield."

Bruce stared at Thor without blinking for an uncomfortably long time. The way his eyelid twitched made it obvious that he was thinking hard. He finally spoke through tightly clenched teeth. "You gave Loki anesthesia? Enough to knock him out for nearly a week? Are you insane?" Bruce turned to square off facing Thor.

Thor looked at Bruce with a faint twist of his lips, "Do not worry Banner." He nodded down at Loki. "He's fine. He wakes."

Bruce shook his head. He muttered, "you can't just do that." 

Loki's eyes fluttered, struggling to open. His body turned slightly on its side facing Thor, he brought his arms up to his face. His eyes opened again, staying open longer each time until Thor could see him struggling to focus.

Thor was surprised at the rush of relief that flooded through him as he watched those green eyes begin to focus on him. He hadn't been aware of how much he had been waiting for this moment, when Loki would be able to help him figure out their next move. Thor grinned and bent his head down and forward. "Hello there, Brother."

The eyes were blank for a moment, then Loki blinked several times. One hand rose to his mouth, small fingers feeling his lips, poking a tip of one inside his mouth. He swallowed before he took a small gasp of air in. His eyes stayed on Thor until he caught Tony shift his feet. He turned his head, bringing his knees up to his chest. Then he saw Bruce off to his other side. Surrounded on three sides, it was enough to awaken something and he reacted.

The three men were surprised to various degrees when Loki began shaking his head and making noises that were clearly of distress even though he never opened his mouth. His head jerked from side to side trying to watch each of them while his arms came straight out with his palms showing, he was telling them to stay back. The expression on his face was one of pure terror.

"Loki. Loki!" Thor reached out and grasped his brothers shoulder, using his hands to push Loki's hands aside. "Calm yourself. You are among friends, you're safe. You're on Midgard. You're safe."

Even with his mouth shut Loki was able to give a piercing cry of fear and distress as he tried to twist out of Thor's touch. 

Tony took a step back, his own eyes were huge, he had a hand over his arc reactor. This was not what he was expecting. 

Bruce was observing, he had also taken a step back but now he raised his hands, palms up and out.

"Thor, let him go. You're freaking him out. Let him go." Bruce kept his voice even and calm even though he wasn't feeling it inside. He kept his breathing on a familiar pattern of in and out for a specific count, he didn't even have to think about it.

He heard the words but Thor couldn't force himself to let Loki go. He stared into those green eyes that were looking at him with such unknowing and wanted to shake it out of Loki. "Brother, its me, Thor. How can you not know me? Loki?" Thor had now grasped Loki by both shoulders and was leaning forward to stare into his eyes. There was no recognition in them.

Tony moved forward and pulled Thor's hands from Loki. "Let him go, big guy. Let go. You're scaring him."

Thor aggressively shrugged Tony away. "He has to remember me."

The sounds Loki was making were growing, now he was scratching at Thor's hands with his own. His eyes wide, his mouth finally opened and he began a wail of fear. He was gasping, shaking trying to move back from Thor but not move closer to Bruce who he kept looking over his shoulder at. He also was trying to keep from touching Tony. 

Tony grabbed Thor enough to squeeze himself between the god and the bed. "Stop! Back up." Tony pushed hard and was able to get Thor to move back several inches. 

Finally Thor moved back, he walked to the wall between them and the cell, leaning a hand against it. He was still for only a few seconds before turning back to look at Loki.

Tony had backed up a few feet, enough to give what he hoped was enough room for Loki to not feel threatened by him. But Tony also wanted to be close enough in case the kid did something crazy, like try to jump out of the bed.

Bruce had remained where he was, his hands were still out. He was quietly murmuring worthless words that he hoped would somehow get through to the terror-struck god. "It's okay, shh, you're okay. We're not going to hurt you." He repeated the words in a sort of mantra.

Thor looked to Tony, his hands grasping his hair as he looked at the genius in confusion and disbelief. "He doesn't know me. He doesn't-" Thor turned to stare at Loki. "This is not Loki. Not my Loki." He looked back to Tony, dropping his hands to make a sweeping motion towards Loki. "Stark. What am I to do?"

They all stared at the god. He was now curled up flat on the bed, his knees to his chest, arms protectively pulled over his head while his palms were pressed over his ears. Near silent sobs escaped from between his lips. His eyes were tightly clenched shut. His whole body tense, as if just waiting for a physical blow.

The three men exchanged looks but were silent.


	11. Chapter 11

Out of the three men in the room it was Bruce who stepped closer to Loki and continued his low chanting. He stood next to the railing of the bed but didn't lean over it or touch the bed at all. He kept his voice even and repeated the words in the exact same tone and rhythm. 

"You're safe here no one is going to hurt you Loki you're not in the dungeons you're safe here no one is going to hurt you Loki you're not in the dungeons you're safe here no one is going to hurt you Loki." His voice was low and soothing, there was a hypnotic quality to it.

Tony and Thor found themselves moving further back and trying to be as still as they could, not wanting to break the spell that they saw being cast before their eyes. Loki had been sitting up against a pillow in the bed, now he lay flat on the bed, curled into himself. Even with his hands pressed against his ears Loki must have at least heard the repetitive tone because slowly the sobs slowed to shuddering, ragged gasps. The hands lowered from his ears to fall exhaustedly to the bed and curl up under his chin. Even still, he kept his eyes closed, his head bowed with his chin against his chest.

Finally Bruce slowed his words, spacing them out to sentences, then came to a gentle stop like a parent who hoped their child had dropped off to sleep with a lullaby. They knew Loki was still awake, he was still breathing in the occasional stuttering breath, his body twitching.

Bruce looked up at Tony and Thor, with his head he motioned for the two men to step out of the medical room into the observation area. Once there and behind closed doors they all let out their own ragged breaths.

Tony slapped Thor on the shoulder, "You said he would remember you!"

Thor was distraught, "I was told he had only been shifted in body! Not mind." Thor looked back to Loki. "I was told the shapeshifting was only to his body because he would not stop fighting the guards. Father would not let the punishments go beyond the basic, so he had the ability to recover." Thor waved towards Loki. "In this form he was easier to physically manipulate."

Bruce locked his hands together behind his head. He started running through his meditation exercises.

Tony stared at Thor for a long moment, not really blinking. Then asked very quietly. "This is considered basic punishment? Basic?"

Thor let out a frustrated huff. "You forget Loki is a god. This will not-"

Tony made a sharp hand motion, cutting Thor off while interrupting, "Yeah, yeah. Because a good beating always gets a kid to contemplate the error of his ways."

Bruce raised his hands to get the two men to stop talking about a point that was now meaningless. "He doesn't recognize you, Thor. That's what we need to work on right now. He's terrified and as far as he's concerned he's all alone in some strange place with a bunch of strange men who could be the same people who did this to him. And I'm guessing that the guards in the men's section of the dungeons are all men?"

Tony muttered, "As opposed to the kid's section of the dungeon?"

Thor ignored him. "All guards in the dungeon are men." He turned to look at Tony, now answering him, "there is only one dungeon in the palace."

Tony crossed his arms and gave Thor a hard look.

"As I. Was. Saying." Bruce rubbed at a spot on his temple, he was getting a headache. "Thor, do you have any way to convince Loki that you actually are his brother? One that doesn't involve you grabbing him while yelling at him that you are?"

Thor closed his eyes, dropping his head. This was not what he had planned for, he had not expected this possibility at all. Now he had to determine a way to convince a child Loki that he was his brother when he had nothing other than himself. He was quiet as he thought. The other two men startled as his head jerked up while his eyes widened. He pushed the door open.

"Wait." Bruce called after him. He would have liked to have heard the plan before having Thor put it into action. Too late now.

However Thor moved in the med bay slowly, speaking softly as he did. "Loki, I'm coming closer. I'm going to prove to you that I'm your brother. I'm going to prove to you that I'm Thor."

Bruce and Tony stayed near the doorway, they didn't want to distract Loki or make him any more anxious than he already was.

Loki shook his head, his eyes opened to slits. He saw the giant standing in front of him and slammed his eyes closed, a low sound of fear coming from his throat. His hands came up to his face, his fingers pressing against his mouth. The men's eyes were drawn to his feet, they were wrapped around each other and now his toes clenched.

Even though Loki couldn't see him Thor moved slowly, his hand reaching backwards, past his cape. His hand grasped something and he slowly brought it forward. Mjolnir. "Loki. Look at what I have." Loki kept his eyes clenched. "I'm going to step closer and I'm going to set it on the bed, right in front of you."

Tony was amazed at how careful Thor could actually move when he moved with intent. The god usually was heavy footed and could be heard before he was seen.

Bruce was just impressed that the god was able to speak softly. But then he remembered how much Thor cared for his crazy brother and realized he shouldn't be.

Thor brought Mjolnir forward and set it on the edge of bed in front of Loki's face, all the boy would have to do was crack open his eyes and he would see it. The weight of it sank the mattress down and Loki frowned as he realized something was there by him. His shoulders rose higher up towards his ears.

"When ever you're ready, Brother. I'll wait." Thor moved back against the clear wall, standing still.

Loki's breathing began to increase, his anxiety about what was now in front of him causing him distress. Bruce was getting anxious himself just listening to the boys panting breaths speeding up. Loki's fingers pinched at his lips, he was nearly vibrating on the bed when he allowed his eyes to peer through a slit. What he saw caused them to spring open in astonishment.

Thor felt a smile try to break out on his face but he ruthlessly held it back. He didn't want to scare Loki. But he knew his one chance had worked.

Loki stared at Mjolnir, his little fingers still sat pressed against his mouth but now his pointer finger wiggled out towards the hammer. He moved one hand slowly out towards it, uncertainty causing him to stop just before touching it. Green eyes looked up, meeting Thor's blue eyes.

"Do you remember father saying that if I was worthy that Mjolnir would chose me? How we would try to lift it? How we felt its magic within?" Thor gave a nod of his head. "Go on. You'll know it's magic."

Loki's eyes darted back to Mjolnir, his hand shook but he reached those last few inches and touched the hammer's head. There was the sound of crackling and tiny white sparks when his fingers touched but he didn't jerk back. Rather his hand flattened against the coolness and it was as though relief flooded through Loki. He rolled over in the bed and his other hand came out to grip the handle, pulling himself up to crouch on his knees. A hand patted the head as though he were offering it comfort rather than taking it. His head started to drop to a rest against the handle and cries were heard from his closed mouth.

Thor was at the bedside within two steps, his arms around Loki's bony shoulders. "Shh, Brother. I've got you. Look at me." Thor pulled back until Loki finally looked up at him through eyes that were flowing with tears. "Look at my eyes, see me? Do you see me, Loki? Hear my words. There are no lies in them."

Loki wiped at tears, his head seemed to be nearly too heavy to hold up but he stared into Thor's eyes until he nodded. Once he did his whole body seemed to fall against Thor's chest and his hands came up. His fingers worked their way into Thor's leathers, twisting under them to grip tightly as he finally began crying in great big wailing sobs.

Thor sat on the bed and held Loki in his arms, nearly engulfing the tiny body in his massive arms. He rocked him slowly. "Shh, I've got you , Brother. You're safe. We will discover what must be done to return you to yourself. Trust me. You will come to no harm."

Tony and Bruce exchanged expressions that were close to shell-shocked. Between Loki accepting Thor as being, well, Thor and Thor acting like a giant teddy bear of a dad they both weren't sure what to think.

The elevator doors opened and everyone turned to watch Steve come out and walk towards them. He took in Loki being awake with no change of his intense expression. 

Loki whimpered and tried to burrow into Thor who pulled the sheet up around Loki's neck with one hand while with the other he patted his back and said softly, "easy Brother. Steve is a friend. He will do you no harm."

Steve stopped at the foot of the bed, his eyes taking in Loki's distress then he gave a nod to Thor. His eyes settled first on Tony then finally Bruce. He again glanced at the boy who had locked eyes on him and was staring at him in obvious fear. Steve's eyes went back to Bruce while his arms crossed. "What's his status?"

Bruce opened his mouth but Tony spoke before he ever got the chance to utter a sound. "His status, Rogers? His status? You getting old, needing bifocals? I figured that super serum would have lasted longer than this." Steve's jaw bunched while Tony moved his body closer into Steve's personal space. "How about taking a look at him for yourself."

Steve turned to stare hard at Tony, "I can see he's emotionally upset. I need to know what his physical condition is."

"You'd know that if you came in to check on him yourself." Tony crossed his arms, the two men were not backing down.

Thor ran his fingers through the short spikes of Loki's hair to rub soothing circles on his scalp while watching the three men without moving more than his eyes. He could see that Bruce was uncomfortable but seemed to have a neutral expression as he stared down at the floor, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. Tony and Steve seemed to be having a discussion they had had before.

"I would know his status if you would let J.A.R.V.I.S. give me updates." Steve sounded frustrated.

Tony shook his head. "I don't want our resident spies overhearing anything."

Steve exhaled, "no ones over hearing anything in my room."

Tony shrugged. "Never know where Barton is crawling around."

Thor raised an eyebrow, not at where Barton may be crawling but because he had no problem getting J.A.R.V.I.S. to tell him Loki's status. He didn't think this was time to mention that fact so he kept his mouth shut and kept listening. He had a feeling he was going to need all the information he could get.

Steve raised his voice, "Tony-"

Loki whined and tightened his grip on Thor. Everyone's attention focused on him, seeing this the boy tried to pull himself into a tighter, smaller ball. Thor pulled him closer, "shh, you're fine."

Steve finally acknowledged Loki with a softening around his mouth and eyes. Looking up he asked Thor, "Has he told you anything?"

Thor shook his head. "No. It seems that I was misinformed." Steve frowned as Thor continued. "I was told that Loki's body had been forced to shift into this form but his mind remained untouched. This is not so. I believe his mind has also been," Thor looked down, "shifted."

Now Steve looked confused. He dropped his hands to rest on his waist and he looked between Bruce and Thor. "So, you mean, he's not Loki?"

"He is Loki." Thor made sure to make that point clear. "I just don't know how much he remembers. He could just need time to regain himself. Or, his mind could be equal to his age."

They all looked at the small body of the boy. They still weren't sure how old he was. Thor had said he had always been small for his age plus, how did an Asgardian god-child age?

"Could he be faking?" Steve went back to staring at Loki. The distrust was back on his face.

Thor's eyes narrowed. He was grateful at Tony's rolled eyes but unsettled when Banner's eyes darted to Loki while nervously licking dry lips. Still he answered calmly. "No."

"How can you be sure? He's known for his tricks." Tony huffed and Steve turned his eyes to him. "Thor's the one who told us that Loki is the God of Mischief. So why wouldn't this be right up his alley?"

Thor answered this with his frustration coming through his voice. "Because Loki's tricks humiliate others. They do not involve him humiliating himself. And to what purpose would this be? There is no reason to put himself through this." Thor waved a hand down at Loki who was clinging to him. The boys green eyes were darting between the three men, stopping on any one of them that moved even in the slightest.

Steve was staring at Loki especially intensely. He turned his attention to Bruce. "So what's his physical condition?" He ignored Tony's huff of irritation as that man turned away to stalk off several steps.

Bruce's eyes jumped from Steve to Thor then back. He swallowed, "Uh, well, Loki is physically recovering. But he still needs to recover his strength and get more nutrients into his body." Bruce waved a hand towards the cowering boy. "He's been starved. I don't know how long it would take for a, uh, god, to get into this condition, but, he needs to continue with the supplemental feedings he's getting through the IV. I'm packing massive doses into him. More than he could get by mouth."

Steve nodded. "So he stays until he's stable." Thor silently leaked out a breath he didn't know had been waiting in his lungs. Steve looked at him. "But he can't stay longer than that. I'm sorry, Thor. We just can't continue to help a fugitive, especially Loki."

Tony snorted and moved closer. "I don't work for S.H.I.E.L.D."

Steve's voice was as unyielding as a soldier drilling a fact into a new recruit. "But I do. And you live on a planet that has a global treaty with another realm which means you live under that treaty the same as I do. Which means you will follow S.H.I.E.L.D guidelines the same as I do." Steve turned his attention to Thor. "A couple more days. That's it." He turned and walked out of the room and they watched him until the elevator doors closed.

Loki let out a shuddering breath, his body wobbled and tilted towards the bed. Thor's hands caught him and gently laid him down. He grabbed Mjolnir from the bed and hid it on his belt once more. "Loki?"

Bruce moved forward, checking the shivering boy who tried to move back from his hands. "It's okay." Bruce offered the words softly. "I think he's just exhausted and stressed. He probably needs to sleep, really sleep, not be drugged." He gave Thor a frown that was close to a scowl.

Tony grabbed Thor's cape that was still in a corner. "Sorry, we never got around to cleaning it." He raised an eyebrow. "Cold water or dry clean only?"

Thor looked confused but took his cape. It had dried blood and dirt on it along with other unidentifiable bits stuck to it. Thor walked to a corner and held the cape out, there was the slightest pop and several sparks came from his hand. The cape went perfectly straight and glowed for just a second. There was the smell of something burnt and little black bits of char fell from the cape as though they were being flung off it. Thor gave it a shake then turned and spread it over Loki, it looked perfectly brand new.

Tony and Bruce looked from the cape to the little black pieces on the floor then back to the cape. Tony was the first to speak. "Hey! Did you just use electricity to clean that?" His voice was up a notch with excitement.

Thor nodded. "Yes, it's a trick that comes in handy." He pulled the cape up to Loki's chin. The boy's hand came out from under it, small fingers felt the edges then pulled it to his cheek. His eyes were closed as he rubbed it against his skin several times before pulling it slowly over his head.

Thor stared down at his brothers covered form. He closed his eyes while grasping both hands behind his neck. He took a deep breath before opening his eyes to find both Stark and Banner looking at him with various degrees of sympathy. He pulled at his head trying to relieve the tension in his neck. He rarely felt this way, he didn't envy mortals.

Tony spoke up. "Okay, Brucie, how much can you do in the time frame we have?"

Bruce widened his eyes while looking down at the covered body. He didn't think Loki was asleep, there was movement in the boys feet, like he was rubbing them together. Abruptly he wondered if Loki was aware of the catheter. "Well, like I said. I'm giving him high doses of vitamins already."

"Maximum for a mort- uh, a human child?" Thor asked.

"No, but I wasn't sure how he would react to it, not being human plus being in this condition." Bruce waved a hand over Loki.

Thor shook his head, "Do not concern yourself with that. Double or triple the dosage you would give to a human child. Or even an adult. Do this with everything you are giving him. He does not have the time to wait."

Tony folded his arms. "Where are you going to take him?"

Thor shook his head. "I don't know." his voice was low, uncertain. 

Tony frowned, leaning towards his friend. "You said you had places to go, other realms you could find sanctuary in."

"That was when I thought Loki would be able to walk us through hidden portals. Without his aid, it can't be done. I only know of one, between here and Asgard and I would never take him back there." He shook his head. "Besides, I only walked it once with Loki when we were children, when he still trusted me enough to share his discoveries. I'm sure he has protected it since then."

Tony's mouth fell open, "So, you're stuck here? On earth?"

Thor crossed his arms then slowly nodded. "For now, yes."

Tony and Bruce exchanged glances, Tony looked a little stunned and Bruce looked a little panicked. He was tugging at his shirt collar while looking a little wide eyed. Bruce did not want to be on the same planet as Loki, even if he was a pint sized ball of traumatized godling.

Tony shook his head, "Thor, you can't say on earth. S.H.I.E.L.D. will find you. You don't exactly blend in, everyone knows your face."

"I know!" There was a sharpness in his voice. Thor pressed his lips together. "My apologies. I know that it will be difficult to hide on earth. However we have no choice, not at this time. That is one of the reasons I am wanting Mage Strange to remove the binding collar. That may release Loki and allow his magic to return him to himself."

Bruce shook his head. "I don't think he's going to do that."

Even Tony didn't look very hopeful. "I can't see him taking that off. Not when there's a chance of having to deal with an insane, pissed off god who wants to pick up where he left off."

Thor looked deeply at Tony then Bruce then down to Loki. He frowned as he set his hand on his brothers head, still hidden under the cape. "That entire attack was so out of character for him, I could not believe it was carried out by him. I still look back on it with disbelief even though I lived it."

Tony huffed, "Not hard for me to believe. I can still look out the windows and see scaffolding. That and getting tossed out my own window, I remember that part." Tony's eyes dropped down to the boy who was covered by the cape. A foot had worked it's way out from under the red cloth, dirt still between the toes. There was a patch of healing skin around the ankle, where a shackle must have sat. Tony looked away, shoving his fists into the back pocket of his jeans.

Thor watched his friend's uneasiness and felt guilty. He glanced at Bruce and could tell that man too was remembering that days fight. Still, Thor felt compelled to give voice to his misgivings that had been whispering in his mind for years now. "I've fought in battles with Loki. He has planned attacks for battle, and any number of ambushes. He has never failed to come out the clear victor in any of them. The Battle over New York was sloppy with no tactical planning at all."

Shaking his head once more Tony pointed out, "They didn't need tactics. They had numbers. All they had to do was keep that portal open long enough to keep sending aliens through and we'd be overwhelmed."

"Then why not do that by opening multiple portals or making a portal large enough to flood earth? And why keep the Chitari in this one place over the city? They should have spread out over earth as soon as they arrived." Thor shook his head. "Loki put his troops in a slot canyon formation. They were confined for slaughter."

Tony shrugged. "What did he say when you asked him?"

Now Thor looked regretful. He kept rubbing Loki's head but let out a sigh. "I never asked him. I never truly spoke to him."

The silence was loud. They could hear the little noises Loki was making, perhaps he was still awake or he was sleeping. There was the sound of the machine that was sending nutrition through the IV.

Tony pulled his hands from his back pockets but they remained fisted as he leaned forward to lean on bed. "You never even talked to him? No one ever talked to him?"

"Odin didn't want Loki to have the chance to lie. So the muzzle remained on. I believe that was worse than anything that could be done physically to him. My brother needs to speak." Thor wondered what that silence did to Loki's mind, he couldn't bear to think of Loki without his sharp wit even though he was often times the one to suffer from it.

Tony thought this whole entire situation was shit. It just went to show that you could be filthy rich royalty and have the exact same shitty family as everyone else. Family was the great equalizer. Abuse came in all price ranges.

Bruce was wondering if he could leave the room without ethically abandoning a patient. Was that what Loki was to him? Probably. Which meant he had to stay. Then again he wasn't officially a medical doctor. He'd never taken the oath. So that should exempt him, right? Most likely not. But Loki wasn't even from earth. Plus he was a god. That had to factor in somewhere.

Thor pulled the cape down to reveal Loki's face. The boy was asleep, his lips apart as he took little breaths. The words came out with regret. "I have to return to Asgard."

Bruce sucked in a loud breath. "But, he's awake now."

"I know. But I can't stay. Not if I want to be able to return in several days."

Tony spoke up, "We never decided what you would do."

Thor pulled his shoulders back. He towered over them. "I left my father with the plea to forgo Loki's physical punishment. If he agrees then we will return to Asgard. If not, then, we will stay here. Together."

"I thought you can be seen by that creepy guy?" Tony asked.

Thor gave a wry and faint smile. "Heimdall can see me now, yes. But I have a way to, blur the edges. To at least make it impossible to be pulled back to Asgard. As long as no Asgardian puts their hands on me I will be fine."

"What about Loki touching you?"

Thor shook his head. His voice was quiet when he spoke, "He is not a problem."

"So you still need to keep out of S.H.I.E.L.D.s hands because if they catch you and contact Asgard then they can take you both back." Tony nodded. "Okay, we can work with this." His mind was thinking of safe houses and people he could trust to go along as bodyguards. He mentally snorted at the thought of Thor needing mortal bodyguards.

Bruce just wanted the two gods to leave. He wasn't trying to be rude but Loki enjoyed mentally tormenting him too much. Bruce could never trust what he knew when it came to the god, and Bruce needed reality to be real if he wanted to keep the Other Guy quiet. So having Loki around made him question everything. It was exhausting.

Thor looked up at Banner and Stark. "I can leave him in your care for several more days? I will return as soon as I am able and we will leave."

Tony and Bruce nodded. Tony chose to leave with Thor, getting on the elevator to head to the roof. Bruce was left with a sleeping Loki. He stared at the god child and couldn't help but feel a shiver go through him. He didn't have a good feeling about this.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor returns to Asgard.

When Thor arrived in the Observatory in Asgard he took a moment to exhale the air of Midgard and breathe in the smell of home. It had never before failed to sooth him, the scent of coming home, where he belonged. This time he wondered at the unsettled roll in his stomach and hoped it wasn't a sign of things to come. He had never had the gift of foresight as his mother did and this was no time for it to manifest.

He caught the eye of Heimdall as he walked forward and gave the Gatekeeper a nod of acknowledgement. He felt the unease of long ago when he had been up to mischief on another realm and had returned to the Watchers knowing gaze. "Heimdall. How fares my father?"

The yellow eyes watched as the Heir to Asgard walked closer then stopped in front of him. "Your Highness." He gave a slight bow of his head. "The Allfather asks for you."

Thor's chin rose slightly. "What did you tell him?"

The all seeing gaze moved to look back out over the cosmos. "That you were to return soon and would have news."

Thor kept his eyes on the all seeing Watcher for a few seconds longer then nodded before he walked from the Observatory. Taking Mjolnir in hand, he was soon flying over the city and landing within the Palace walls. He tucked his hammer away and allowed his feet to take him to where he knew Odin would be waiting for him. At the gold doors of the Throne Room the guards were already pushing the massive doors open as he approached. They closed behind him.

Walking towards the AllFather's throne he thought about the many times he had made this walk before. The reasons had been many. When he was young his feet had carried him here to run into his fathers arms to be lifted to his shoulders. Then as he grew older he had reluctantly walked here for discipline. Other times he had come to request permission to travel, then later to return to tell of a triumphant return. Nearly every time Loki had been with him, silently walking behind him. 

Thor saw the Captain of the Guard, Reapt, standing on the floor near his father's throne, arms folded, one foot resting on the bottom step. There was a faint smile on the Captain's lips that Thor disliked and he fought back a scowl. Coming to a stop at the bottom of the steps Thor gave his father a respectful bow while bringing a fist up to his heart. "Father."

"What news do you bring from Alfheim?" Odin's one eye bore into Thor's blue ones with force.

"They are the same as all the other realms. They have no news pertaining to Loki." Thor's eyes slid to Reapt. The man wore a small smirk. Turning to fully face the man Thor asked, "Considering it was from your custody that Loki escaped, where comes your smugness?"

Reapt's face fell into a scowl. Loki's disappearance was a blow to his pride and shook his standing with the AllFather. The fact that he knew Loki was physically in no condition to escape meant someone aided the younger Prince. Reapt believed he was being challenged by that very one standing in front of him. "Did you have enough time to thoroughly check all Nine Realms, Your Highness? In between your visits to Midgard?"

Thor took a step towards Reapt when Odin hissed a warning. Thor took another step in defiance. Reapt's eyes widened. Thor spoke in a low voice that rumbled, it's echo came in thunder outside. "What did you do with my brother?" Thor felt his rage building. This question was asking what agonies Reapt had put Loki through but the man would never know that.

"I? I did nothing! He was put back in his cell. When he was next checked on, the cell was empty." Reapt's eyes darted towards the AllFather while he licked suddenly dry lips. When his eyes jerked back to Thor he spat out, "that little brother of yours was helped by another." Reapt smiled a snarl, he too had spoke with hidden meaning. "And I will find out who dared to violate the AllFather's commands and aided him in escaping his just punishment."

The two men stood feet apart, the tension was filling the throne room. The guards were uneasy. The only one who appeared relaxed was Odin. He observed both men with cunning interest. Now he spoke with deceptive disinterest, "Thor."

The god took a moment to break eye contact with Reapt to turn his head to meet his fathers gaze. He knew his anger was rolling off in waves, he tried to unclench his hands and found that they remained fisted. He was looking for a fight.

"You're dismissed." The AllFather gave a single nod of his head.

Thor turned to face Odin, he wasn't leaving just yet. "When last we spoke you said you would consider pardoning Loki's physical punishment. Leaving him confined to a cell to himself."

The AllFather raised a brow. "I have not decided. Yet." He stared at Thor and his expression was clear. Thor had been dismissed.

Thor gave another bow and turned to go, giving Reapt his back. His anger was still bubbling, he felt it rising in the back of his throat and he wanted to scream it out in release. Instead he made his way down the golden hallways, past guards, servants and others who lived within the palace walls. He ignored them all and they moved quickly out of his way, his blue eyes were tinged white. The thunder had stopped rumbling by the time he had arrived at the lists where he saw groups of soldiers practicing with various weapons. With a sweeping gesture he pulled his cape off, dropping it and Mjolnir into the dust. Catching the eye of the training Master he pointed out into center of the training pit. Recognizing the Prince's mood the man sent a dozen men out to train in hand to hand combat, that should keep the Prince busy for a few moments. 

Several hours later Thor was once more walking through the halls of the palace. His emotions were only under slightly better control, the training Master had called a halt to his sparring with the soldiers. Healer Eir had come out with her own thunderous expression after the last several soldiers had been brought to her healers for care. She was not one to be trifled with and thus the sparring's abrupt end.

Now as he walked the halls he was forced to do so at a much more temperate pace as Eir had decided to join until their pathways diverged. Thor had thrown his cape over his shoulder, he carried Mjolnir in his hand, clenching the handle tightly.

Eir was a tall woman, regal in her bearing with honey gold hair pinned up in an intricate braid. Light blue-grey eyes had always been able to see right through excuses both Princes had given for their latest injuries, she frightened both from childhood to more recent times. Even now Thor had no desire to anger the woman who controlled how much pain he would feel while his injuries were tended to. She walked with her hands folded in front of her, acknowledging nods given to them both.

In a stretch of hallway that was empty her quiet voice broke through Thor's thoughts. "Loki. How fares," her pause was nearly unnoticeable, "your search?"

Thor exhaled deeply. "Not as well as I had hoped. It was my belief that I would have been able to return with him by now." His own voice was low and didn't carry far beyond them.

They turned a corner and were passed by several noble ladies who gave Thor gracious nods which he returned. This hall had guards posted at even paces apart, their backs to the solid column holding up archways set between large openings. The openings allowing into the corridors the beautiful reflections of the light that bounced off the gold of the city. The sounds of various parts of gentle life occasionally being heard. 

Eir's voice was calm. "It has been some time since Loki was of a size where he could simply be taken by the ear and forced to go where he wished not."

Thor was quiet as they passed a guard. Once past his voice came out a low growl, "he is still of the size for me to do that."

Eir stopped walking, forcing Thor to do the same. Her face was a smooth mask as she asked carefully, "I doubt he would allow you to do that. If you were to find him, of course."

"After his time under Reapt's care I doubt he would even know himself enough to protest." Thor looked down to where his knuckles were white from gripping the handle of Mjolnir so tightly. He shook his head as he looked up to meet Eir's gaze. "I don't think he'll be returning to Asgard in the near future, Lady Eir." 

They had stopped where the path of a hall on the outside of the palace split into two that entered the interior of the palace. Even in the shadow Eir met Thor's blue eyes with a steady look. She understood what the heir to Asgard's throne was saying. "And you, my Prince? Will you leave to continue your search?"

Thor nodded. "I believe it would be best." He made a motion with his hand and the two continued to walk in silence until they came to where their directions split. Thor could do no more than smile and give her a nod, "enjoy the rest of your day, Lady Eir."

She gave him an answering smile though it held no joy. "I go to see how goes the tending of the wounds you have inflicted on innocent soldiers. " She raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps next time you need a release for your frustrations you can find your three friends and knock each other about."

Thor nodded and gave Mjolnir a toss into the air. "As you wish, my Lady."

They turned and walked away from each other. Nearby on a wall that opened out to the air, Odin's ravens, Huginn and Muninn, launched into the sky.

Thor entered his chambers, the gold curtains had been drawn back and now allowed sunlight to flood the room. He looked around as he did every time, taking note that his chambermaids had tidied everything up in the sitting room. The room was dominated by gold with deep red touches of color. Frigga had chosen the signature color for him before he had even been born, the same as she had chosen green for Loki's color. Now in this room the pillows on the sturdy gold couches were red as were the rugs and much of the trim.

He entered through the door to his bed chamber and carelessly tossed Mjolnir on the bed. The frame creaked but held because it was magically enhanced. He sat on the dark red bedcovering and began removing his boots then quickly stripped so that he could take a proper bath. Midgard had nothing that was meant for a god of his size to soak in.

He took a long soak in his bath, scrubbing and washing deeply using salts, oils and herbs. While he did he was trying to plan his next move, he wished Loki were here. He would know what to do. Loki always had a plan. 

Thor was irked. He was aware that Loki wouldn't be welcome to stay at Stark Tower for as long as he had hoped. Thor was also disappointed in his friends, the Avengers. He had expected more from them. He understood the treaty with Asgard, he had been party to its being written. However he and Loki were royal Princes, the heirs to the throne. This should mean something. Thor growled in his aggravation and rose from his bath and dried off. 

It was while he was standing in his dressing room grabbing clothes to wear for the evening that he suddenly ceased all movement. Words hissed out of him, "Loki." His eyes darted around while he wasn't actually seeing anything, he was thinking. "Loki's chamber's." His brother had protection spells around his rooms, spells that were to keep everyone out. Everyone but especially Thor. Who now wondered when was the last time Loki had actually been in his rooms. Probably before he fell from the Bifrost. Now Thor wondered if Loki had changed those spells, hopefully not since Loki had planned for Thor to never return to Asgard. Thor shrugged that memory off and dressed. As long as the spells were old, he would probably survive.


	13. Chapter 13

Thor had joined the Warriors Three and the Lady Sif in their feasting hall along with dozens of others. It was loud, the people were beautiful and alcohol flowed. Thor thought that Stark would have enjoyed himself and been a favored guest amongst the Asgardians. In fact Thor wished Stark was there because he was sure that the Midgardian's antics would have created a diversion that would have allowed him to slip out much earlier than he was able.

Now, hours later, he was finally able to raise himself up between the two woman who were sprawled across him. One made a noise and he muttered soft words and gently ease himself from the bed. Grabbing his clothes, boots and Mjolnir he silently slipped out onto his balcony and quickly dressed. He had an agreement with Heimdall that when he was with women there would be no all seeing gaze turned on him. Hopefully he still enough time.

With Mjolnir in his hand it was easy enough to leap to Loki's balcony where he landed without a sound. In the moonlight he could look down over the courtyards and into parts of his mothers gardens. An occasional set of guards walked past but none looked up. Perhaps when this was all over he would make sure to add that to their training but for now he was thankful for their lapse.

He wasn't able to look into Loki's chamber, thick curtains covered the windows of doors that were towering in height. Taking one of the ornate handles in his massive hand he tried turning it, locked. He licked his lips, felt foolish for licking his lips then slowly squeezed the handle until it broke. The sound was loud in the silence and he held his breath but no alarm was raised. He lowered the pieces to the balcony floor then quickly pushed the door open and slipped inside.

Once he gently pushed the door closed behind him he was in total darkness. He waited for his eyes to adjust but that never happened. He pictured the room as he remembered it and moved a forward until he felt the corner of the couch that he knew was there. Then several more steps until he was at the desk. He was about to take another when he felt something move past his booted foot. Or actually across the top of his foot and he let out a startled gasp and leapt sideways.

He kicked something that was there that he hadn't known about and when he tried to step back from it he felt a light brush against his shoulder. He swept a hand out into the darkness and his fingers touched something that moved when he tried to grasp it. Now he could hear his breathing, it was all he could hear. And the room was still black. 

"Loki's magic?" His voice was whisper in that darkness.

He had Mjolnir in his right hand, he didn't remember if he had called it or if he had reached for it. Now he raised it chest height and set his left hand to the hammer head and let a tiny fraction of lightening lose. White spheres of ball lightening rose into the air, one after the other to sail up and into the corners of the room until there were five of them circling through the room.

Thor felt a tingling on the back of his neck and spun around. Nothing was there. He turned back to look around the chamber in the blue white light while the tingling grew nearly painful. 

The furniture was covered in dust cloths. He stepped further into the room, not even sure what he was looking for, just knowing that what he needed was here in Loki's chambers. 

Something again went across his booted boot, this time tripping him and he smashed into the ground hard. He tried to roll to his feet but whatever it was had now wrapped around both feet and yanked them together. He looked down and faced a green snake hissing in his face. Before he could do or say anything he found himself being yanked towards the ceiling by his feet, his arms flopping down around his head. He was being spun, the snake was gone. Now he could see a long green wisp throughout the room. Loki's magic. And it wasn't happy.

Thor finally came to a jerking stop then felt himself being sent shooting towards those curtains covering the glass doors in front of the balcony. He knew he would be thrown through them and land in the courtyard below. "Wait! Loki is in danger! I- he needs your help!" But it was too late. He had already been flung towards the doors.

Thor waited for the impact but it didn't happen. Instead he felt something tightly grab hold of his ankle and he came to a painful, instant stop. It felt as though his whole body wanted to keep going, stretching itself making tendons stretch and joints pop. He could feel his spine separate then snap back in place. He groaned at the sensation and pain. When he opened his eyes he found himself hanging upside down in front of the curtains. Painfully he swung himself enough to be able to look around. The green mist was whipping around the room, clearly agitated. It didn't like the ball lightening and was attempting to herd the balls to Thor. He called them closer to him with a twitch of his fingers. The mist came closer as well, spinning around Thor.

"I, need your help. Uh, could you set me down? "Thor gave a motion towards the ground which wasn't easy but the mist only paused for a moment then continued its pace. Thor chuckled. It was as if Loki had raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief at such a stupid question. "Well then, it's rather difficult to explain from up here." He waved Mjolnir about then had an idea. He held the hammer out. "Here. Mjolnir knows. It has been with Loki. They," Thor struggled with the right word, "Spoke. Or at least touched."

The green mist had drastically slowed, barely weaving back and forth. Now it moved forward and part of it reached out and curled around Mjolnir. Thor could feel in his hand the results of the two magics touching and combing, it was burning hot and burning cold. Glowing green and crackling blue white in color, the two were only together for several seconds but that was all that it seemed to take for enough information to be exchanged. The green mist faded away.

Thor frowned. "Loki's magic? Are you still-" He was cut off when he suddenly dropped to the floor, landing with a painful thud, Mjolnir on his chest. He lay there recovering, pulling air into shocked lungs. Once he finally had recovered his breath he rolled over and pushed himself to his knees and looked around. His ball lightening still lit the room though they hovered closer to him but looking around he saw that the green mist was gone. 

Still slightly wheezing he asked, "Loki's magic?" There was no sign of an answering reply. No sound, no light. 

Pushing to his feet, grasping Mjolnir Thor looked around with a frown. He stepped carefully forward, this time directing one of the balls to his feet, he had no desire to go stumbling again. Turning slowly in a circle there was nothing to see, the room was empty. There was no tingle at the back of his neck. "Loki's magic?"

Thor paced through the room, still turning around, searching. He peered around, the deep green colors making the room appear even darker, the shadows deeper. He made his way towards Loki's bed chamber door and carefully pulled the door open.Thor stood in the doorway, his mouth dropping slightly open as he peered into the room that was lit by several lights next to a couch. He stared at the figure lounging on it and finally uttered, "Brother?"

Loki slowly raised his green eyes from the book in his hands to meet Thor's blue eyes, no expression on his face. Finally he rolled his eyes, "Considering I'm not your sister, brother, your wit stuns me." The book in his hand snapped shut and he frowned darkly. "And you will be repairing my lock."


	14. Chapter 14

Thor continued to stand in the doorway, mouth slightly agape. He stared at Loki, laying back against the arm of the dark green couch, large gold pillows behind his head. He was wearing a gray tunic with green decorative embroidery along its edges, loose black casual pants flowing down to pale bare feet. All he needed was a glass of wine and a plate of fruit and cheese and it could be any evening Thor had seen a thousand times before.

Loki raised his eyebrows. "You seem to be bereft of speech beyond your normal lack of worthy conversation. Is this a temporary condition or am I going to be even more put upon in the too near future?"

Thor walked cautiously further into the room. He reached over to a desk and picked up a letter opener sitting on it. With a flick of his wrist he sent it sailing across the room and right into Loki's chest. It went straight through him and into the couch where it sank to the hilt.

Loki looked down where the small knife could be seen through the illusion that was himself then back up to Thor with a menacing look. He stood and took another glance at the knife that remained embedded in the couch before putting up a hand holding up a finger. "The lock and latch to my door." He snapped up a second finger. "And now my couch." He put both hands on his hips. "If I weren't impressed with the fact that you actually didn't fall for that, for the first time I might add, I would be turning you into a frog and tossing you over the balcony to live in Mother's gardens for a week."

"Loki." Despite having proof that this was only an illusion of Loki created by his brothers magic Thor's voice nearly broke when he spoke. He walked closer, his ball lightening following and lighting the room.

Loki frowned, he had never liked Thor's magic and never allowed it in his chambers. He pointed with a wagging finger at each of the balls floating around while he caused the lights in the wall sconces to come up and bathe the room in bright light. 

Thor motioned and the balls shrank in on themselves until they disappeared with a bright spark of light and a pop of sound. He looked at Loki, taking in his short hair and youthful look. "How old-" Thor stopped. "When did Loki create you?"

Loki gave Thor a venomous glare. "I am Loki."

Thor shook his head. "You know what I mean. When did Loki create this illusion of himself?" Thor waved his hand about.

Loki's head drew back, his chin rose while his back stiffened. "If you have no need of me, Loki, then I have better ways to spend my time." Loki disappeared and a second later the bedchamber plunged into darkness.

Thor sighed. Illusion or not, it was Loki. He should have known better. "I am sorry, Brother. I meant no disrespect. Truly. It has been a, very difficult time and I spoke the truth before. You are in danger and I do need-" Thor shook his head. Only in dealing with Loki did this conversation make sense. "I need your help. To help you." There was no reaction as he waited. "Please."

The light burst back on and as Thor blinked in the sudden brightness he saw Loki standing right in front of him. He wore a distrustful expression. "Who are you and what have you done with the oaf?"

"What?" Thor took an involuntary step back from Loki.

"My brother. He would never apologize to me nor would he ask please." Loki leaned closer as if to look deeper into Thor's eyes. "So I ask again. Where is he or what spell have you been put under?" He stared intently.

Thor had to faintly smile. "I am the oaf and am under no spell." The smile slipped, that didn't sound right. 

Loki huffed and stepped back. "Well you certainly reason like Thor." He looked his brother over. "Then what has happened to you? You look different."

"Time." Thor took a deep breath and walked around the room. He glanced back at Loki. "That is why I asked when you were-" Loki frowned in warning. "Well, created. Because to me you are younger in appearance than last-" Thor rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, not as young as the last time I saw you but younger than the time before that." Thor looked Loki over. "I don't mean to offend, but, I know for fact that you are not, my Loki. And obviously you are one of his illusions." Thor waved towards the knife still embedded in the couch. "So, what purpose do you have?"

Loki studied Thor for a long moment. He crossed his arms, green eye intense as they seemed to bore right in to Thor's soul. Without warning he turned to put distance between them. "I keep idiots such as yourself from intruding on the sanctity of my chambers. No one needs to enter them without my permission." Loki raised an eyebrow. "Especially through my balcony like some common born criminal."

Thor shrugged. "I couldn't take the chance of being seen coming through the halls." Thor looked uncertain. "You're willing to help me?"

"I'm here because you didn't lie about needing my help. Obviously you're unable to call upon my true self so-" He held his arms out while giving a cocky grin, "Here I am. Ready to once more solve whatever dilemma you have gotten yourself into with words of wisdom that you will ignore with all your staggering might." He gave a mocking bow.

Thor frowned at Loki. "Well Brother, this is not so much my dilemma as it is yours. I'm the one trying to save you this time." Loki looked at him with doubt. "Perhaps I should explain."

Loki gave him a blatantly patronizing look, "At the very least you should make the attempt."

Thor kept his gaze on Loki who stood staring at him with arms folded. He was obviously keeping his temper under control and Loki was enjoying observing Thor's struggle. Finally Thor asked, "Before I begin, what are we looking forward to doing together next?"

Loki tilted his head, "We have plans to go to Vanaheim for the summer. We're hunting."

Thor looked thoughtful for a moment then asked with a sly grin, "Have you met Lady Lannis yet?" Loki's pale cheeks blushed painfully red and it was obvious he was forcing himself to meet Thor's teasing gaze with a fierce glare. Thor chuckled and held up his hands. "Peace Brother. So now I know exactly where in time you are." He walked over to the couch and pulled the small knife out before sitting down. "For me it has been, a few years more." 

Loki took a chair and stretched his long legs out before him. His only reaction to Thor's words was a single raised eyebrow. "You were going to explain how I am in danger." His voice was clipped, he still was unhappy with the mention of Lady Lannis.

Thor nodded. "I'm not going to explain everything, I think too much information will influence you."

Loki rolled his eyes, "Really Thor. I'm not a child."

Thor stared at Loki. He licked dry lips and spoke quietly. "I know that. But for now let me tell you this much. You were placed into the dungeon by-" Thor glanced sideways at Loki, "Father."

At this Loki grinned. "Still? Well at least I can trust that the future remains the same." Thor was unaware of how uncomfortable he looked but Loki picked up on it instantly.

"Yes, well. Sometime during your, punishment, your seidr was bound with a collar." Thor looked at Loki who had sat up straight from his relaxed position, his face having gone rigid. Any color from his earlier blush had disappeared. Thor waited for Loki to say something but his brother was silent. "I then found out that, you were, well, someone had-" Thor leaned forward, he rested his elbows on his knees, twirling the little knife through his fingers. He raised his eyes to find Loki was staring at him, green eyes intense. "Well, I don't know who is responsible. That's what I need you to think about. Who would have the power to do it. I can't-"

"To do what, Thor? Stop rambling like a drunken sheep and speak, damn it." Loki's voice was demanding.

"Yes, well, someone had forced you to shift. To shapeshift." Thor stopped speaking. Loki had leapt to his feet and walked away, only stopping halfway across the room. Thor could see that Loki was breathing hard.

Loki turned his head slightly to look at Thor out of the corner of his eye. There was a dangerous interest in his tone. "Shift into what?"

"A child."

Loki spun about, an expression of utter confusion on his face. "A child? A child?" He repeated in disbelief. This was not what he had been expecting. "What do you mean a child?" He pointed a finger at his chest. "Myself? Or someone else? Another child?"

Thor stood. "No, yourself. You were changed into yourself, when you were a child."

"Why a child?" Loki's voice was low, seeking a specific reason.

Thor's eyes shifted to the side, "You were too violent. It was easier to control you physically as a child." Thor's head dropped so he could stare at the knife that he twirled around in his hands.

Loki's smile twisted his face into something cruel and dangerous, "Too violent? I'm glad to hear that I still won't take the whip without a fight."

Now Thor looked up with anger in his eyes, "I never agreed with Father, you know that. No man should lay a whip to a Prince of Asgard."

Loki scoffed with a sneer, "you're too soft, Brother." Loki's face took on its own anger. "And you have never had to face the danger of the whip, blade or brand. Father would never mar his chosen heir."

Thor opened his mouth to argue but found himself wordless because he knew Loki spoke the truth. He had spent his share of nights in the dungeon for punishment but he had never faced any threat of physical harm the way Loki had. He had never questioned it before. Never even thought about it. His anger slipped away as he nodded and spoke quietly, "You're right."

Loki stared at his brother, an expression of uncertainty crossing his face. He didn't know what had brought about this change in Thor and it unsettled him. His future unsettled him. However that was not what he was here to solve. Not now. Loki's face wore an expression of thoughtfulness as he began to pace. "Who did I say did this to me?"

"You didn't. You couldn't." Thor met Loki's gaze. "You wouldn't speak."

Loki stopped and looked to Thor, eyes narrowing. "Why not?" His voice was low, dangerous.

"At first you were physically in no condition to speak. Too weak." Thor licked his lips, biting at his bottom one, "then I believe you were too frightened to speak. You have yet to speak." Thor sighed. "And truly, I forgot to ask you."

Loki took a quick breath while looking at Thor with utter disappointment. "No matter the years, some things can not change." 

Thor looked at Loki with wide eyes full of contriteness, he truly had forgotten.

After a moment Loki started pacing again. His fingers dug into his palm, occasionally they would rub at his lips. His eyes were staring about the room, unseeing. He ran a hand through his short hair, coming back to grip it tightly for a moment. He looked at Thor harshly then away. The pacing continued.

"Do you-" Thor's voice was cut off by an aggressive hiss from Loki who also slashed his hand through the air. He was in no mood to hear Thor's useless chittering.

Finally Loki came to stand across from Thor, meeting his eyes. "Father."

Thor let out a disappointed breath while nodding his head. He sat down on the couch, once more placing his elbows on his knees while staring down at the small knife.

Loki came around and sat beside him, a few feet separating the two men. Loki's voice was low but this time there was nearly no emotion in it. "You knew."

"I suspected. Other than yourself, I know of no one else powerful enough to force you to shift your shape." Thor sounded tired.

"Gungnir. It gives that power." They were quiet until Loki asked. "Have I tried shifting back?"

Thor turned his head to look at Loki. "You still wear the collar."

"What?" Loki sat up straight. "You idiot. Why?"

Now Thor sat up as well. "Because I can't get it off." His voice was defensive.

"What about Mother? Why hasn't she-" Loki's expression grew frantic and his hand reached out towards Thor. "Mother? Thor, tell me Mother is, still alive? Thor? Tell me-"

"Loki, she's fine. Mother's fine." Thor stared at the illusion of Loki who was now sitting next to him with his face down in his hands. He realized that this was Loki. And Thor had missed him. Desperately missed him. He had missed the little brother who still thought of Thor as his brother. And their mother as their Mother. And even Odin as their Father. The Loki who was still full of mischief and willing to go hunting with him. Who insulted him. Thor wished that he could keep this Loki. This brother who was still his brother.

Loki looked back to Thor. "Then why haven't you had her remove the collar?" His young face was confused.

Thor paused in answering Loki, thinking hard about what to reveal then realized that he had no idea what he shouldn't tell his brother. "I had to remove you from the dungeons first."

Loki grinned and sat up straighter. "You, the Honorable Thor, broke me," he pointed to his own chest, "Loki the Trickster, out of Father's dungeon?" He gave a near cackle of laughter as he fell back on the couch, his feet even lifting from the floor. "Oh Brother, you have changed!"

Thor scowled, "This is not humorous, Loki. Tis' a serious crime."

Loki grinned even wider, showing teeth as he enjoyed Thor's discomfort. "Of course it is. That's what makes it even more deliciously delightful. You, Father's favorite," Loki's eyes narrowed slightly and finally, after all these years, Thor heard the hurt tone in Loki's voice. "You have gone against him. And why? For me." The humor fell from Loki's face and contemplation took it's place. "Why?"

Thor swallowed and glanced away before forcing himself to meet Loki's bright green eyes. There was none of the hate in them, just curiosity. "Because you're my Brother and I love you."

Loki scoffed, "And? Never have you gone against Father for me before. Why now?"

Thor sat stunned for a moment. Loki had accepted his declaration of brotherly love with a casual dismissal of obviousness. There had been no question in Loki's mind that his brother loved him. Thor held his emotions in check but he knew Loki saw something because his eyes narrowed and he leaned forward to observe Thor closer. Thor hoped to distract him, "Because I did not agree with the punishment that continued while in a child's body. I would not have it. You are a Prince of Asgard. No one treats an heir to the throne that way." Thor's voice was a low rumble as he glared at Loki and cut off any words his brother was about to say. "And you are an heir to the throne of Asgard. So I removed you. However I had no way to remove the collar."

Loki continued to study Thor as he said thoughtfully, "I ask again. Why did you not have Mother remove it?"

Thor stared at him then looked down at his hands that were grasping the knife tightly. "I, wasn't sure-" Thor looked back up at Loki then spoke in a rush but firmly. "I do not know Mother's part in this."

Loki's eyes opened wide and his mouth dropped open. He looked as though he were unable to speak or even think. He went to stand but didn't rise from the couch. Thor just stared at him. The illusion actually rippled, like water and Thor could see Loki fade for a moment before becoming solid again. His eyes went back to Thor, his voice was low, "you think she agreed to my, punishment?" Before Thor could answer Loki turned on the couch to fully face him. When he spoke his voice was firm, "What did I do?"

Thor shook his head. "Loki, that is not-"

Loki stood and towered over Thor. "What did I do!" It was less of a question and more of an angry demand. "Tell me! What did I do that Mother would see me thrown into the dungeon, my seidr ripped from me and my body stolen? Tell me!"

Thor stood as well and met Loki's pleading eyes. "Nothing. You did nothing to deserve any of those things. And that is why I took you. That is why I came here seeking help. Any help to remove the collar from Loki so that he may regain his seidr and shift back to himself."

Loki was breathing hard, he was obviously trying to determine if Thor was telling the truth while bringing himself back under emotional control. He could not detect a lie in Thor's words but they were not entirely the whole truth. His honest Brother was hiding something. "Where am I now?"

"Midgard."

"Midgard?" Loki pulled his head back and raised his eyebrows. "Midgard? Why would I be on that realm of pig-ignorant savages?" He looked disgusted.

Thor smiled faintly, "It's been a while since you have walked among them. You would be surprised how far they have come since you last were there." Loki shrugged and waved dismissively. "They even have books now, Brother. And some you would enjoy very much."

Loki didn't look impressed, his lips twisted, "Books? If you recommend them then I must think the realm has made no progress at all. And why would you have read a book?"

Thor shrugged. "You would be surprised at what I have done." He stared at Loki then gave a slight shift of his shoulders, "I brought you to Midgard to hide you. I have, friends, there." Loki took note of the way Thor said they were friends.

"Friends among the mortals?" There was a sneer on Loki's lips.

"Again, you would be surprised at how far they have come."

"You are here and I am there. So you just left me with these mortals? Defenseless?" Loki carefully observed Thor.

"They will keep you safe until my return." Thor began to pace. "I need you to tell me how I get that damn collar off of you."

Loki shrugged. When he spoke his voice was calm, dismissive of all traces of the trauma of the previous few moments. "You can't. Not you at least. Your magic would burn me up if you tried to remove it. It must be unlocked, Thor. Not smashed with brute force. You need someone who wields magic." He dropped back onto the couch and threw his feet up on it while leaning back against the large pillows. He watched Thor continue his pacing. A small plate of sliced cheese appeared and hovered in the air while he selected a slice and nibbled on it.

Thor ran a hand over the back of his neck. "There's one who could do it." There was hesitancy in his voice. "But, he is not, overly willing."

"A Midgardian mortal? With magic?" Loki was interested. "Midgardian's usually do not have magic. How did this one come to?"

"I don't know. But it is not from within. It was gifted."

"Ah." Loki dismissed it with a careless wave of a hand. "It would take someone of more intelligence than a mortal to understand the complexities of meshing the two to be able to unlock Asgardian magic." Thor stopped pacing and looked at Loki with lips that were quirked up in a smile. Loki narrowed his eyes, "what is that vacant contortion on your face meant to convey?"

Thor shook his head and spoke softly, "Nothing."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Why does this not leave me gasping in surprise?" He closed his eyes. The plate disappeared.

Thor continued to stare at Loki. Then he asked still speaking softly, "What will happen to you when I leave these chambers?"

Loki opened one eye. "Without you to hold me here, I will go back to the peaceful quiet of nothing."

"And if I return?"

Loki sighed. "Then I suppose I will come back to your dull witted chattering."

"I'm glad." 

Loki opened his other eye. "Why?"

"As I've said. I missed you."

Loki's eyes slid away, confusion on his face for a moment before he looked back with a vulnerability that Thor knew Loki must not have been aware he was revealing. "Have I changed so much then, Brother? Have we changed so much?"

Thor blinked swiftly. "We have, grown apart. Taken different paths. But we are still Brothers. That has never been in doubt."

Loki nodded slowly. He closed his eyes and relaxed against the pillows. "Then I suggest you get back to me, I doubt that I will have enjoyed my time amongst the mortals. Get the collar off. I will shift back. Then return here and we will, determine, what needs be done next."

Thor didn't like the implications of those words but decided that was too far into the future to worry about. Besides. This was an illusion, not the real Loki. He started to walk out of the chamber when he came to an abrupt stop and turned back. "One other thing. Do you have a charm to hide me from sight?"

Loki again opened his eyes. There was no need to say who's sight they were talking about hiding from. Loki waved his hand and Thor felt something slither about in his hand.

He yelped and looked down while flinging his arm up and his hand out, trying to throw off whatever was touching him. A small black snack was gliding through his fingers. With a glare at Loki Thor opened his hand palm up and the snake coiled around on itself into a circle, mouth touching its tail. It hardened into a bracelet. Thor glared at Loki.

Loki smirked. "And what am I wearing to keep hidden?"

"Remember the one you made for me when we were boys?"

"The snake that struck you?"

"That was far from humorous." Thor glowered.

Loki chuckled. "I must disagree. Over a thousand years later and I still find it humorous."

Thor stuffed the bracelet into a pocket and moved to the chamber door. In the doorway he stopped and looked back at Loki laying on the couch. "I'll return, Brother. I would like to speak to you again." There was a longing in his voice that Loki didn't miss.

Loki waved, "Of course you would. Your mind craves intelligent conversation. It certainly doesn't get it from you."

Thor shook his head with a fond smile then turned and left the chamber. He headed through the sitting area back towards the balcony doors.

Loki called out after him, his voice sounding clearly, "Do not forget you will be repairing that latch and lock. Any other idiots entering my chambers through those doors will not be exiting through them. Nor exiting at all."

Thor nodded as he closed the door after himself.

Loki remained as he was, laying back with his long legs stretched out on the couch, eyes closed, with his arms folded behind his head. The illusion rippled then faded and the lights dimmed until there was nothing but darkness. A silence fell over the chambers. After long moments a green mist began forming in the darkness, coiling in on itself. Small enough to be held in the palm of someone's hand, it floated in the air. After several twists and gentle turns, it formed into a small ball of light. On the couch Loki became visible, laying back, staring at the ceiling, thinking.


	15. Chapter 15

Tony stared down at Loki who was sleeping, Thor's red cape pulled up all around and over the sleeping kid. He wondered for a second if Loki was still alive under there then figured if he'd suffocated that J.A.R.V.I.S. would have said something. 

They'd slipped a heavy dose of sedatives into the IV and Loki hadn't come out from under the cloak once. No one had lifted it up to check on him either. Now it was after four in the morning and Tony was alone in the cell, the lights were still bright as ever and he was wondering what the hell he was doing in here.

J.A.R.V.I.S. had been told to alert him during the night if Loki woke up, there hadn't been an alert but Tony wasn't sleeping anyway and Bruce needed to keep to some type of semi-normal sleep pattern to function. Tony had lost that ability before he'd been of legal age to, well, legal age to do pretty much anything. Now he stood here with a wrench in his hands and several other tools sticking out of various of his jean pockets. 

His hand slowly reached out for the cloak, to pull it back but before he could touch it he jerked it back. Now it was just morbid curiosity to see how far the injuries had healed that made him want to look. He took a deep shuddering breath and started aimlessly moving around the room. He picked random things up then set them back in other random places as he moved around, his eyes always going back to the small hidden figure.

Finally he shook his head while giving a weak huff of what was almost a laugh. "You've got me all tied up in knots, you know that, kid?" He tapped the wrench into his palm. "I don't know what to do about you."

Tony walked over to the sink, turning the water on by stepping on the floor pedal a couple times. He spun around and leaned against the counter. "Your big brother doesn't have the slightest chance of keeping you from S.H.I.E.L.D." He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, rolling it on his neck trying to relax the tension. Opening his eyes he started walking again. 

He kept looking over at the bump on the bed. "Does that make it my job to keep you away from them?" He shrugged one shoulder. "But, you're not really my responsibility, are you?" Tony opened a jar and peered inside then put the lid back on. "Of course, I don't really like S.H.I.E.L.D. too much, secret government organization trying to tell me what to do and all that. So, keeping you out of their hands would give me the thrill of sticking it to The Man, you know?" He stood still staring at Loki. "No, you probably don't."

Tony walked over to the bed, looking down at the little lump. He was tapping the wrench on his palm when the elevator doors opened and Bruce was there looking out at him.

Bruce stared at Tony and the two men locked eyes. Bruce's eyes widened as he took in the wrench in Tony's hand that was being hit against his palm. He just stood there.

Tony frowned at Bruce then glanced down at what seemed to have caught his attention. He rolled his eyes and shoved the wrench head first into his jeans back pocket. He held out his arms, hands with the palms up and gave Bruce a disapointed look.

Bruce stepped out of the elevator and came into the medical cell, giving Tony a sheepish shrug. "Sorry. You looked a little intense."

Tony gave him A Look that was clearly meant to convey that he thought Bruce had lost part of his genius mind. "Yeah, I'm not gonna damage one of my favorite tools just to kill someone."

Bruce stared at Tony while slowly nodding, finally saying, "Duly noted."

Both men looked down at Loki, the silence wasn't uncomfortable, it just was full of things that needed to be said. Bruce moved to the head of the bed and took down the empty IV bag and tossed it to be incinerated. He hung another one then began gathering vials that he would be injecting into the line.

Tony watched Bruce working, the man might not be a certified doctor but he moved with confidence. He knew what he was doing. Tony glanced down at Loki, he wanted to lift the red cloak, he really did. When he looked up he saw Bruce staring down at Loki as well, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What's going through that beautiful mind, buddy?" Tony folded his arms and tilted his head.

Bruce reached up and scratched at his neck. "What next?"

Tony raised an eyebrow.

Bruce took a hand and scrubbed at tired eyes under his glasses. He rubbed at them, they felt gritty. He hadn't gotten enough sleep, his brain wouldn't shut up. The Other Guy kept whispering, too quiet to be understood but his emotions were starting to bubble up. Anger. Always anger.

"Tony. What are we doing?" He settled his glasses back on his face squarely. "Are we really helping a mass murderer then letting him go?" His arms waved about. "Or are we going to call Fury and have him come get Loki before Thor gets back?" He raised his shoulders up around his ears. "What? What are we doing here?" He sounded agitated.

Tony kept his face as neutral as he could. He didn't mind blowing up in Roger's face, that sanctimonious do-gooder deserved to have his cage rattled at every opportunity. But Bruce deserved to be answered honestly. And calmly. "I've been wondering that myself." Tony glanced down then back up to meet his friends gaze. "What do you want to do?"

Bruce blew out a really deep breath, like it came from the bottom of his lungs and had been sitting in there for a long time. He crossed his arms, looking unsure as he rubbed at the shoulder of one. "Sometimes I'm one hundred percent sure that I'm going to call Fury myself and tell him to come get him." Bruce glanced up at Tony through long lashes, unsure how his friend would take that admission of thinking of betraying him. Because they both knew that's what it would be. An utter betrayal their friendship would never recover from.

"Why don't you?" Tony was unbelievably curious. "Besides the obvious."

"Because the next moment I'm one hundred percent certain that I just want to hide him." Here Bruce waved his hand towards Loki. "And make sure no one ever finds him. Not S.H.I.E.L.D. and damn sure not Asgard. Because both of them would start this torture all over again. And S.H.I.E.L.D. absolutely could come up with something worse." Bruce dropped his eyes to Loki and left them there. "I can't let a kid get, tortured. I can't let them-" Bruce licked his lips then swallowed. His voice came out a low growl. "I won't stand by and let a kid be hurt when I have the power to do something to stop it. I don't care who the kid is." Bruce turned and walked over to lean against a counter, he stood with his back to Tony, pretending to be interested in cleaning up the supplies he had used on Loki.

Tony carefully watched Bruce, he knew his friends back story, his family story. He knew what Bruce was struggling with. He gave his friend a couple moments to gather himself before asking, "But?"

Bruce glanced at Tony over his shoulder for a few seconds before going back to fiddling with the empty vials. "But." He turned to face Tony while he was looking at Loki as he raised a hand up to point at him. "But, is that really Loki? Or just a random kid in Loki's body? If it really is Loki, does he remember what he did? He seems to remember Thor." Bruce shrugged as he scrubbed at his face, again rubbing at his eyes. "I don't know Tony. And that's my problem." He suddenly ran both hands through his hair, scratching his scalp and sending the brown hair in all directions. He took a deep breath and stared at his friend. Tony was staring down at Loki, his hands tightly gripping the bed railing. Bruce thought about what he knew about Tony. "What about you? Why do you seem so adamant that he stay here?"

Tony looked up at Bruce with an obvious effort to keep a blank look on his face. He felt the look slipping so he shrugged and grinned, "You know me. Any chance to piss Rogers off I'm going to grab it. I'm the yin to his yang yang." Bruce just raised an eyebrow and Tony let his grin fade. He shrugged his shoulders, he folded his arms, flexing slightly in his black t shirt. "Same as you, I don't like torture." He made it sound casual, simple. Nothing deep or important.

Bruce wasn't going to let him off that easy. "I don't think Steve does either."

Tony's eyes jerked to meet Bruce's, obviously the man had hit a nerve. "Rogers is a soldier. He follows orders. He doesn't question those orders or ask who's running things behind the curtain." Tony's voice was full of contempt. "Asking questions is all I do." He glanced off to the side for a second then spoke in a more normal voice. "At least that's what I've learned to do." He swallowed tightly. "Before Afghanistan I never asked questions. It was too much trouble and I honestly didn't care. But torture," he grimly pressed his lips together. "That does something to you." His eyes dropped down again. "I wasn't from some warrior, god culture where torture seems to be as normal as sending your kid to their room. Which, by the way, my old man never cared enough to do. He just told me to go somewhere else, anywhere he wasn't."

Tony dropped his arms and grabbed the wrench from out of his back pocket and started walking around the room, pacing. His fingers fiddling with the adjustable screw, rolling it back and forth. He glanced at Bruce to see that man watching him with interest but no judgement.

Tony ran a free hand through his hair. "I was a full blown asshole before I got kidnapped." Bruce huffed a laugh and Tony saw a look of amused disbelief on his face. Tony rolled his eyes, "No, you think I'm bad now? Jesus, Bruce. I was a total shithead. I'd never been told no in my life in any way that I couldn't charm my way around. Even Pepper was pretty easy to get past." He glanced at the ceiling, "J.A.R.V.I.S. if you ever repeat that I will delete you. Utterly and from the very surface of the earth."

"Repeat what, Sir?"

"That's my man." Tony tapped the wrench in his palm a couple times. "When I got taken, I was so far out of my depth I couldn't even-" Tony took a breath, "For the first time in my life I couldn't think my way out of something. The only thing I thought I had control over was telling them no. No I wouldn't build them Jericho. That was my one hold out."

Bruce watched as Tony's eyes got glazed as he lost focus and stared off into a distant point only he could see. He didn't know his hand came up and rubbed and pressed the skin around the arc reactor. Bruce shifted his stance and it was enough to bring Tony back.

Tony glanced at Bruce, he knew what his friend had done and was grateful. Getting lost in the memories was worse than talking about them, not by much but enough. "When they tortured me, I had nothing to compare it to. Nothing. It-" he raised a hand, holding it out then tilted it in the air."I don't know. Shifted something? Broke?" He shrugged while shaking his head and started pacing again, "It did something to me." His voice was so low Bruce wondered if Tony was even talking to him any more. "I still haven't put it back." 

Tony stopped at the bed and looked down at Loki. He pointed a finger at the covered boy. "After him, I felt the same way for the longest time. Off balance. Even now when I get out of the elevator I have to force my eyes not to go to that window to make sure that its still whole and I won't fall out of it. I still have nightmares." Bruce watched Tony's fingers flex around the wrench's handle. "But not as bad as at first." Tony's eyes jumped up to meet Bruce's. "You know what's still as bad? The nightmares about that torture. About being in that cave. About what happened there. That feeling of drowning." Tony's hand was clenching at his t shirt, pushing hard enough at his chest that his fingers were bending and white from the pressure. "Being electrocuted." Tony set his hand on Loki's form and was quiet. When he did speak his voice was hushed. "You know the saying that you wouldn't wish something on your worst enemy? Well I don't know if Loki is my worst enemy but he'd be in the top three. And I wouldn't wish torture even on him."

The elevator doors opened and Steve stepped out and walked towards them.

Tony looked back to Bruce. "And now you know what I'm gonna do."


	16. Chapter 16

Steve stepped from the elevator and saw Tony and Bruce, both men glanced at him and he saw Tony say something. Steve mentally sighed. He was too professional to let it show on his face but he was frustrated with this entire situation and it was all because of Tony. Despite everything Steve did that man had the ability to irritate him in seconds.

He had already done his workout this morning in anticipation of the stress he was going to be facing yet he had a feeling it wasn't going to help very much. Now he was in his sweats and just wanted to shower and grab breakfast before tackling the stack of reports that he knew Fury would have waiting for him. Reports that no one else seemed to even know about much less read.

Pushing the door open Steve nodded to Bruce. "Doctor Banner." He glanced at Tony. "Stark." 

Banner nodded his head, "Steve." 

Tony squinted, "Rogers. What brings you here?"

Steve moved his eyes to meet Tony's while remaining still. He had noticed Tony's hand resting on Loki's body. Now he turned his head to face Tony. "You said I should come and check on his status. So that's what I'm here to do." He turned to look at Banner. "Doctor?"

Bruce felt his pulse jump, thankfully just the once and he pushed away from the counter and came over to the side of the bed. "I just gave him his next round of meds. He should be done with most this evening, the rest over the next day or two." Bruce reached down and pulled the cape back to reveal Loki's head.

Green eyes blinked and met his.

Bruce took an involuntary step back while raising his hands. Steve came around to step protectively in front of Bruce who allowed himself to be forced back several more steps. Tony came around to their side of the bed in time to see Loki's reactions.

The boy was curled up, slightly on his back but more on his right side. Both hands were at his mouth, the knuckles on his left hand were pressed against his lips while the fingers on his right hand seemed to be trying to search for any holes in his skin they could plug. His eyes were wide and just as filled with terror as they had been the last time they had seen him. He was eerily silent, not a sound escaped from his body.

Tony held his hands out, "hey kid." Those giant green eyes darted to him and for a second he internally cursed for calling Loki's attention to himself. What the hell was he going to say? "Hey, you're okay. We're not going to hurt you. We're friends of Thor's. Remember your brother, Thor?" There was no reaction other than Loki's eyes darted to Steve and Bruce before jumping back to Tony. "Easy kid. Relax." 

Loki didn't look like he was relaxing. His body was starting to struggle, he was very nearly smothering himself. The sound of him trying to breathe through his nose was loud. Under the cloak they could see his shoulders moving. His legs were pushing at the mattress, he could have been trying to run or get himself off the bed. No matter what, it was clear he was going to do something they didn't want him to do in his building panic.

Steve was the one who knelt down on one knee. It lowered him closer to Loki's eye level but he had also moved forward so he was nearer to the boy. Softly he said, "Doctor Banner, maybe a small dose of that sedative? He's not going to calm with us just talking to him."

Bruce nodded and began making exaggeratedly slow movements as he prepared to give Loki another dose. He would give half of what he did the last time and see what it would do.

Steve gave Loki a faint smile, he was pretty sure the kid could tell a real smile from a fake one. "Loki, your brother Thor had to leave for a little while. He asked us to look after you. He'll be back as soon as he can. My name is Steve." He slowly raised a hand to point, "This is Tony and that is Bruce. We're going to make sure nothing happens to you. Okay?"

Loki's eyes had followed where Steve had pointed but there was no clear understanding in them. He was still terrified. His fingers were plucking at his lips, twisting and pulling even though he wasn't opening his mouth. All the while they would go back to covering his mouth and pressing against them. The few ragged nails he had were scratching the skin leaving red trails behind, he was close to drawing blood.

"How about you take your hands from your mouth? You can. It's alright." Steve nodded. The three men saw the fingers flex and if anything press harder.

Bruce went to the IV line above Loki's head and out of his direct line of sight then injected the sedative. A few seconds later they all saw the results when Loki's eyes fluttered and his hands slightly relaxed. What should have knocked him for a loop only took some of the tension from his muscles.

Steve saw the boys pupils dilate but he was still very much aware. "Okay." Steve's hands reached out slowly, he saw Loki's eyes widen but there was no other reaction. Reaching carefully through the bedrails Steve brought his hands to a stop. Holding them palms up he spoke soothingly. "I'm going to touch your hands. You're not in trouble. I promise." Loki's eyes darted from Steve's eyes to his hands and then back to his face. There was a slight narrowing of his eyes and Steve couldn't say why he added, "I'm not tricking you. I'm not lying to you. You're not in trouble."

Loki watched as Steve's large hands came closer and finally touched his small ones. There was a twitch at the touch. With gentleness the large fingers slid under Loki's little ones and tugged, just enough for him to let go. First one hand then another. With care Steve held those tiny hands in his for several seconds, running his thumbs in circles over the backs then down several fingers where the nails were just showing signs of growing back. Carefully the hands were tucked under Loki's chin. He folded the fingers inwards, resting a single huge hand on them for a moment.

Steve smiled with a nod even though he wanted to punch something or better yet, the someone who had smashed those tiny fingernails. But he kept his expression professional. "Good job, son."

Loki had kept his mouth closed. He was still breathing through his nose in short breaths. The scars from the holes where his mouth had been sewn shut were healing and fading. Unconsciously one finger reached up from under his chin and touched one, rubbing.

Steve slowly reversed himself and stood cautiously. He kept his eyes on Loki for several long moments, the boy was watching them. He still had some of that look of panic but the terror had decreased to simple fear and Steve was willing to take that as a win. Still speaking slowly and with a soothingly low voice he said, "Gentlemen, maybe we could step out for a moment." It wasn't a question and he didn't wait to see if they were following him.

Tony took a shallow breath, he didn't want to admit he was impressed with Rogers but he would say that he was surprised. He caught Bruce's eyes and could tell his friend was feeling the same. The two of them backed out of the room so they could keep an eye on Loki, the boy never took his eyes from them.

Bruce spoke as soon as the door closed behind them. "You did a good job, Steve." He let out a breath.

Tony spoke up, "Yeah, what's up with that?" He crossed his arms over his chest and looked suspicious.

Steve frowned, "What do you mean, Stark?"

"I mean you've made it pretty clear that you don't want him here."

Steve naturally stood straight but now his shoulders pulled back and his chest thrust out. It was a clear show of anger. "As far as I'm concerned he's in our custody and will be treated humanely." Steve put his hands on his hips. "It's our job to keep him safe, however our main job is to keep others safe from him."

"Safe?" Tony looked incredulous and raised his hands in the air. "From who? A scared kid?" 

"That's the point, Stark. We don't know that he's just a kid." Steve pointed at Loki on the other side of the clear wall. The men looked back at him, the boy was watching them all, his eyes half closed. "We don't know anything. Besides, it's not our place to make that call."

Tony gave a smug laugh. "Not our place? Maybe its not your place, Soldier Boy but I think I'm smart enough to figure it out myself." Tony used his thumb to point at himself then he jabbed a finger at Steve. "You would rather follow S.H.I.E.L.D.s orders and not have to think for yourself."

Bruce held out his hands towards them, trying to calm the two men, "Come on guys." He looked towards Loki who was still staring right at them. It was making him uncomfortable. "Let's just step back and cool off-"

Tony wasn't having it. "No Bruce. Super Soldier here wants to hand Loki over to S.H.I.E.L.D. without knowing anything that's going on and wash his hands of the whole situation. Without even knowing the whole situation."

Finally Steve let his feelings break the surface. He took a step in Tony's direction. "I'm tired of being the bad guy to your hero, Stark." Steve pointed at Tony. "All of us are aware that earth has a treaty with Asgard. We also know that if there's a violation on earths part we could end up with un-named Asgardian sanctions." Tony rolled his eyes. "You think Asgard wouldn't love to slap earth with some kind of consequence that we would be powerless to stop? All Odin would need is an excuse, and I have no intention of handing him the perfect one. Namely helping an escaped prisoner. Who, by the way, also committed crimes on earth that caused the death of a still unknown number of civilians." Steve poked Tony in his arc reactor. "Whose lives you don't have the right to decide have no value."

Tony's face had gone pale and his lips were pressed tightly together. His jaw looked ready to crack and his breathing was shallow. Before he could say anything Bruce spoke so very softly.

"Please. Guys, please, just. Don't." Both Steve and Tony turned at the same time to see Bruce, his eyes closed and tightly clenched shut. Tony reached out and as soon as his hand touched his friends arm Bruce flinched and slapped Tony's hand away. With a gasp Bruce's eyes snapped open. They all three seemed to focus on how his hands were shaking. Bruce forced his hands into fists.

"Bruce, sorry. I'm sorry." Tony held his own hands out, palms up, trying to speak calmly. 

"Doctor Banner, what do you need us to do?" Steve's voice was low and professional. The soldier negotiating with the man holding a live grenade.

"I need you. To stop arguing. And make a decision. Then tell me what the plan is. Then stick with it." His voice came out through clenched teeth, low and intense. He watched the two men stare at him with various degrees of concern, fear and wariness. Turning he walked swiftly to the elevator and didn't turn around but stood with his back to them as the doors closed. His hands gripped the railing while he kept his shoulders hunched and his head down. Once the doors closed he completely relaxed and turned to lean casually against the elevator railing, a smirk on his lips. A reputation for hulking out had its uses.

Back on the cell floor Tony spoke firmly, "J.A.R.V.I.S. observe Bruce, monitor vitals, report any deviations to agreed upon protocols."

"Yes, Sir. Shall I notify Agents Romanov and Barton?"

Tony looked to Steve with a raised eyebrow. Steve thought for a moment then said, "Go ahead, J.A.R.V.I.S. but tell them he had a sleepless night." Steve looked straight at Tony while adding, "And that Tony was an asshole."

"Yes, Sir. In other words, it shall simply be a normal morning."

Tony scowled, "There goes your performance evaluation, mister."

"Oh and I was so planning on that yearly raise, Sir. What ever shall I do."

Steve turned to face Loki squarely, the boy was still looking at them. If he didn't occasionally slowly blink they could have thought he had fallen asleep with his eyes half open. His expression of fear hadn't faded, in fact in had climbed back up into terror with their aggressive body language. Even though he couldn't hear them he could see their anger.

Steve let out a sigh. "He can't stay here, Tony. It's only time before Barton and Nat figure out somethings going on, if they haven't already." With his arms folded he raised himself on tiptoe, rocking slightly. He raised his hand up to stop Tony from speaking and to his surprise it worked. "Forget about the rules. Forget about Asgard and S.H.I.E.L.D. What would you do with him? Keep him in this room? In this cell? Forever? He can't live here like this."

Tony looked around, the area was spacious, he could make it livable. Then he realized that there were no windows here. This was a small enclosed area of the floor that could only be accessed through the elevator. It was never meant to be anything other than what it was. Loki couldn't live here. It was a cell. He would be safe, at least until Barton and Romanov figured out there was something going on. But Loki and Thor couldn't live here, not like this.

"Thor doesn't have the ability to hide." Tony crossed his arms. "He's got fan clubs all over the world not to mention he's just loud." Scratching his chin he stepped up to stand next to Steve. "Plus he wears a cape. Not many men can pull that off now days but that man is one who can. And I'll admit it, it makes him all kinds of sexy. Mainly the kind that makes him stand out in a crowd."

Steve was slowly nodding. He gave Tony a side eye glance, "I don't want to know what you're going to do."

Tony snorted. "You're assuming I would even tell you."

Steve sighed. He seemed to do that all too often around Tony. "The rules are there for a reason."

Tony looked at Steve with a smug expression "The rules are there for people like you, Rogers." He shrugged easily. "Not for me." He patted Steve's shoulder and moved forward to step into the room with Loki.

Steve watched Tony speak with Loki as he moved slowly and carefully around the room. Eventually Tony retrieved the rolling stool and brought it close enough that he was able to sit on it. All the while talking with Loki. After a few more seconds of watching, Steve walked out, he had a shower to take and breakfast to find.


	17. "Did you know?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where Thor talks with Frigga about Loki.

Immediately after leaving Loki's chambers Thor headed towards the halls to break his fast. Before he could make his way there he was stopped by the call of one of his fathers personal guards.

"You are requested to appear before the AllFather." Neither the man's voice nor appearance gave anything away. He was much too well trained.

Thor nodded. "Of course." He headed to towards the throne room however was redirected towards his fathers personal office instead. A large chamber with a table that could seat twelve, it also had an area that had a desk where Thor found his father sitting. The room had several military commanders leaning over the table looking down on maps. Clusters of papers spread out before them.

Once the door closed behind him Thor moved to stand in front of the desk and gave a respectful bow, crossed his hands one over the other behind his back and waited while Odin finished reading over a parchment. A fire burned in the hearth, the room was pleasant with several bouquets of flowers arranged on various side tables.

Odin set the page aside and looked up at his son. "You inquired about Loki's punishment being reduced to imprisonment only."

Thor nodded. "Yes. I believe if I can make a reduced sentence known then he is more likely to -"

"No." Odin shuffled pages and picked up another and began to read.

Thor frowned while glancing at the others in the room. None were looking in their direction but it was impossible to assume the men couldn't hear the conversation. "I, I don't understand. It would mean so little to simply stop these punishments." Thor had to be careful, he couldn't reveal that he knew the extent of Loki's abuse or his condition.

Odin raised his eyes to stare at Thor. "You are not required to understand my reasonings. You need only carry out my commands."

Thor's head pulled back as though he had been slapped. "Of course, my apologies, Father." 

Odin watched as the boy gave a curt nod and was about to turn away. "Thor." He called with a sigh. When he once more was looking into his son's eyes he spoke again. "Your brother has yet to learn lessons that should have been ingrained as a child. No matter how much it was impressed upon him he was always challenging. Always questioning."

Thor raised his hands slightly. "Loki was an inquisitive child."

Odin frowned. "An unfortunate trait he was allowed to learn from your mother. She indulged the boy, teaching him arts better left to women. It made him learn to lean on weakness rather than develop strength as you did."

"There were battles won because of his magic. Battles that would have been lost." Thor knew he came close to angering his father but couldn't help defending Loki considering those battles were ones that Thor himself had survived thanks to Loki. Battles Odin had not been at.

Odin's voice grew hard, "Better an honest loss than a dishonorable win." He watched Thor pull in a breath but refrain from speaking. Odin went on. "If Loki had of learned those lessons as a child he would not be having to suffer so harshly now." Odin waved a hand, dismissing Thor.

Thor bowed again and left the room. He wasn't think of a direction when he turned and began walking, he simply needed to walk. His mind was in turmoil. He had known that as young boys Loki was always getting a slap or knock to the head for his non-stop challenging of every single lesson they learned. His greatest flaw was his continuous need to know why they needed to know what they were being taught. And if the poor soul teaching couldn't give him a clear answer it was guaranteed that sometime during the lesson Loki would disappear to only be found reading a book in some dusty, hidden corner. Thor had always just told Loki to be quiet and get the lesson over with, if he could only keep his mouth shut the lesson would be finished in the same amount of time that Loki was whining. It only seemed to work when Thor pummeled Loki into tearful silence.

Now as he walked he wished he would have been the kind of brother to step between Loki and those slaps and knocks. When he found himself in the corridor that lead to the steps to the dungeons he did question why. Nor did he turn around.

Unlike the last time when he had been escorted here by Reapt, this time when he pushed through the door leading to the first floor of cells no one was expecting him. The guards standing at attention were unprepared to face the Crown Prince of Asgard.

The door had opened to reveal a modern and well lit wide hall lined with cells. Clear walls that when activated would offer no escape while giving a full view of prisoners. This was the hall Loki had been on at first. Once his violence had become a disruption to the other prisoners, he had been moved to a lower level. Each act of violence had contributed to his falling further and further. But he had started here.

So when Thor stepped through and the door slammed shut behind him the two guards nearest the door simply stare at him as their eyes widened. Thor took this as a good sign and remembered words Loki once told him. There are different ways to smile and he should know at least one that causes nothing but terror. He had practiced for months and felt a fool for even longer until Loki had finally waved him off with words that he was as acceptable as a fool could be.

Thor now gave that smile and put everything he had into it. Every feeling of anger and need for revenge. It seemed to work, the two guards exchanged nervous glances as they turned to fully face him, one stuttering out, "Your- your Highness." The word ended on a breathless note. "How may we, a-assist you?"

"Tell me when the prisoner was relocated from this floor." There was no need to name the prisoner. Thor came closer to the two men. He gave them no personal space, he stood close enough to hear them swallow in their uncertainty. Too close to even allow them to turn their heads to gather courage from each other.

One spoke up. "His Highness was never on this floor." The man shifted on his feet. "He was taken immediately to the lower levels."

Thor was motionless. He had been given false information. He had been lied to. Reapt had lied to him. Reapt had lied to the Crown Prince of Asgard, the Heir to the Throne. And he had done it in the presence of the AllFather. Who had known that he was lying. 

There was the faintest scent of ozone in the confining hall, just a tickle in the nose of the guards who also noticed a tinge of white in the eyes of the Prince. Thor narrowed his eyes. "When did his punishments start?"

"Immediately your Grace."

Thor nodded. He had already been told this, perhaps it was the truth. "You saw the AllFather when he came to see the prisoner?" This was a new question.

Both men's eyes had gone back to normal size, now they grew so wide Thor wondered if their eyeballs were going to pop out. One man shook his head while opening his mouth and the second hissed a warning. Thor grabbed the second man by the throat and slammed him against the wall. "I will be answered." Another, harder slam against the wall and when Thor opened his hand the man dropped to the floor unconscious.

The remaining guard took a step away from Thor who followed him. "Now. You were here?"

The guard swiftly shook his head. "No, no, your Grace."

"But you are aware of the AllFather coming to visit the prisoner?" 

"Yes, your Grace."

"Why?"

The man whined in his throat. "The prisoner, he was violent still. At first he accepted the punishments. Even stepping into the shackles. But over time he started to pull at the muzzle, he wanted it off." The man licked suddenly parched lips. "Once it was made clear that the AllFather had ordered it to remain and it was never to be removed, he no longer allowed himself to be punished willingly. He fought through them."

"And after the AllFather visited?" Thor loomed over the man. This was important. "Did the orders of punishment change?" His voice was a low growl.

The man convulsively swallowed, his eyes dropped to glance at his still unconscious coworker. "Yes, your Grace. They increased to a level two." Thor's hands reached out and grabbed the man by the throat and uniform. "Your Grace, please! I never served them! We had no idea why. We were under orders to ask no questions. The guards who handled the orders are from Captain Reapt's personal unit. They never serve any where else except with him. Their loyalty is to him alone."

Thor stared at the man. While he may not have had the same ability as Loki to sense a lie he knew this man was telling the truth. He relaxed his hold. "And the assaults done to him? On who's orders were those done?"

The man looked uncomfortable as he refused to meet Thor's eyes. His voice was low, "Your Grace, you know there are men who, take advantage of a level two prisoner. It is not, ordered nor approved but, no one stops it."

"That was no level two prisoner." Thor tightened his grip and spoke through clenched teeth. "That was a Prince of Asgard." He swallowed tightly, his nose flaring. "Though I suppose that made it all the sweeter." Little sparks danced along his fingertips and the man flinched away as the sparks burned his skin. Thor let the man go, violently pushing him away. He wiped his hands on his pants, struggling to gather himself back together. "When the Queen came and was told he had been changed to a level two, what did she say?"

The guard stood nearly hunched over, his gloved hand rubbing his face. "The Queen was not told of the change. She simply was told he no longer wished to see her. The same as you were told."

"Did she return?"

The man shook his head. "No, it is said she never returned. Not in any form."

Thor knew what the man was referring to. Without another word he turned and walked back through the door, slamming it open so hard that it cracked when it hit the stone wall. Chips of the stone flew through the air. He followed the hallway until he was once more on an outer wall, able to step into an archway that allowed him to look out into the open air. He forced the air of the dungeon from his lungs, replacing it with fragrant air from the flowers of the garden. He stood with his eyes closed, just trying to get his mind balanced again. His fingers spasmed against the marble, he focused on not crushing the stone.

This day had been more emotional than he was used to dealing with. He would readily admit that he was not a deeply emotional person, he floated on the surface of the simple ones. He was happy or sad. Angry or melancholy. Drunk or sober. Confused or overly confident. He rarely strayed from these paths and if he did he tried to get back on them rather quickly because other emotions made him uncomfortable and itchy. And he knew that he had nothing like Loki's depth of cunning or thinking ability. He had to get that collar off Loki, once he was back to himself then Thor knew he could turn all the thinking over to him and simply wait for something his strength could be used for. 

Opening his eyes he found himself looking down into the gardens and into his mothers eyes. She smiled at him and gracefully motioned for him to join her. He gave her a strained smile and nodded his head. Time for him to face the one person who had always been able to see into his very soul. She also could see past his every lie. Thor realized this was not the time to lie. It was the time to be brutally honest.

Walking into the garden he saw his mother dismiss her maid who had been helping her by holding the garden basket and gathering the flowers as she cut them. Thor knew that these flowers would be destined for somewhere in the palace where their smell would last for weeks due to Frigga's spells. He had had his own vases full of the most vibrant and fragrant in his own room as a child, not so much recently and he wondered why.

Frigga gracefully rose to her feet, brushing non existent dirt from her flowing yellow gown. Her hair was fashioned into its customary style for a morning of relaxing when she had no official duties. She stood on tip toe to greet him with her customary kiss on his check while smoothing his shirt with a frown.

"Ah Mother. The most beautiful flower in the garden." His throat felt dry and he wished he had thought to go and break his fast after the dungeon.

"Is this not the same shirt you wore last eve?" She glanced up at him with a mother's disappointment that also held a hint of amusement.

Thor glanced down at it, brushing at a few stains that he hadn't noticed before. "Uh, ah, yes, I-"

"Really Thor. At least stop by your own chambers in the morning after a night of revelry to dress in fresh clothing." She motioned to a bench near a tree that was across a small space of grass.

"Ah, um," he cleared his throat, "yes Mother." He walked beside her. Here was his opportunity to ask what he needed to and yet his mind was struggling to give him the words in the proper order. He rubbed his fingers together, digging his nails into his palms as he made fists.

Frigga sat and saw what her oldest son did, she recognized that it meant he was thinking, deeply, as he tried to put his thoughts together. She reached out and grasped his arm, tugging him down to sit next to her.

With a smile she spoke, "You wish to tell me something."

Thor looked at Frigga. He studied her face with the faintest of smiles as he relaxed under her gaze. She was his Mother. He loved her dearly. She was the first person he had ever loved. And yet, Frigga may have given him his one life but Loki had saved that life hundreds of times. They were brothers and brothers-in-arms. They had fought and bled together, survived wars, battles, ambushes and tavern fights along with thrashings by angry tutors. His love for his Brother was forged in the fire of battle and blood. It was time to repay some of that debt.

"Did you know what Father has done to Loki?" There was still that faint smile on Thor's face. He watched as his Mother's eyes grew shocked and she went to look away. His hand snaked out and though his grasp was gentle when he caught her chin, he refused to allow her the escape. He spoke again, his tone deceptively soothing, "Did you? Mother?"

Her eyes met his and this time she made no effort to turn her head away. Thor could have been asking about anything, and yet they both knew exactly what he was asking about. So she answered him, her voice kind and gentle. "Thor. You must trust your Father. He always has a purpose to everything he does."

Thor dropped his hand as though scalded and rose to his feet so he could take several steps away from her. His mouth had fallen open then snapped shut. Now he stared down at her and this time his anger was clear in the set of his jaw jutting forward and the narrowing of his eyes. "Do you truly believe that? With a full understanding of what your youngest son has gone through?" Even at her words he held on to the hope that his Mother didn't honestly understand Loki's situation. 

"I know he was disciplined." She raised her chin.

"He was placed in a position where all his protections were removed. As a level two prisoner, no one would be checking on him, no one would be asking after him." Thor watched Frigga's face for any reaction. "Mother, he is a Prince of Asgard. An Heir to the Throne. Do you truly understand what it means to have no protection in the dungeons of-"

Frigga stood, her hands came together, grasping at each other. Her face was pale but firm and her voice strong. "I understand more than you know. You think with the mind of a child who loves his brother. Your Father must think as a King who rules the Nine Realms, with billions of children in his care."

Thor took a step closer, his face clearly trying to understand. "You call me a child and mock me. Then treat me as a man who demands an explanation as to why a father would punish his child so cruelly?"

Frigga stared into her son's blue eyes, so deeply hurt. She needed to make him understand, he would be king himself one day. Her words came out in in a firm pronouncement. "What would you have him do when his child nearly destroys an entire Realm and attempts to usurp another? As you have said, Loki is an Heir to the house of the most powerful throne in all of the Realms. What would he do if he were to be called to sit upon that throne? What would his rule look like?" Frigga took a single step towards Thor. "Even now there are consequences to his actions that we are struggling with. Marauders who took advantage of the destruction of the Bifrost to commit crimes against the innocent. Would you have their blood go unanswered?"

Thor looked at Frigga as if he didn't know her. And he supposed that he didn't know this woman, the Queen of Asgard. The one who put the Realm above all else. He voiced his discovery in a whisper. "You would sacrifice your son for the good of the Realms."

"No, never." Frigga shook her head adamantly. "I would have my son understand his actions have horrible consequences. For himself and for everyone involved. Including you." Frigga took a half step forward and held out a hand to Thor but she didn't touch him. "You would spare your brother this lesson, only to have him learn a harsher one later. One he perhaps would not survive." Her voice was soft and pleading.

"Not survive? Mother, he was collared, his seidr so deeply locked away from him that he was unable to heal himself between his beatings." At this Thor saw a reaction on Frigga's face, one of surprise that was just as quickly hidden. She knew this meant that others would have had to be called to heal Loki. And no one had told her. The healers would have assumed that she condoned all of it. Odin had told her none of this. When Thor spoke his voice was a confused whisper, "He is your son. I have seen proof of how deeply you love him. He returns your affection a thousand fold." Thor's brow was creased in deep lines as he frowned, his whole face showing his confusion. "I simply can not understand how you can stand by and accept this kind of torture for him." Thor's voice had grown quiet and trailed off.

Frigga gazed at her eldest son with eyes that were pleading for him to understand. And yet her stance was not weak but rather full of power. "Am I not a loyal citizen of Asgard first? Sworn to obey the decrees of the AllFather? Just the same as you?" 

The words hung in the air as Thor met his mothers eyes. He slowly shook his head, not answering her question. "I was never forced to learn these lessons. Not like this."

Frigga swallowed and spoke confidently despite her inner turmoil. "You learned your own lessons. You were banished."

Thor gave a bark of harsh and humorless laughter. "To Midgard for only a handful of days and then a triumphant return." He looked at Frigga with no softening. "Except for that one time, my punishment only ever came from my father. Loki's only came from his King." Thor's eyes looked into the distance then quickly dropped to look at Frigga while he backed away from her. "I'm sorry. I hope he is never found. I hope he has escaped to somewhere that he finally finds peace. Even if it means I never see him again, it is my wish that he never returns here."

An expression of confusion passed over Frigga's face as Thor turned away from her. She watched him walk away and out of the garden then back into the palace. After a moment she turned and looked over her shoulder, a troubled expression on her beautiful face.

Thor felt his heart pounding in his chest. It was only at the last moment that he had seen Huggin and Muninn in a far branch of a tree. He knew his Father's spies would have heard everything, he could only hope that his last words would be enough to foster the belief that he knew nothing about Loki's escape and whereabouts. However he knew one thing for certain. He needed to leave and he needed to do it now.

His feet were silent as he moved in the halls to a nearly deserted stretch. He stopped at a great wooden door overlaid with gold. Worked into it were designs of twisting ropes and knots that had no end. They seemed to travel from the door itself into the archway where if one knew what to look for there were serpents coiled among the details. If one looked long enough there was an unsettled feeling of nausea as the ropes seemed to move.

Thor grasped the doors great handle then jerked his hand back at the sharp sting of being punctured. He looked at his palm and saw two small beads of blood. "Damn it, Loki." He muttered. Looking around he saw no one in the hall and grasped the handle again. Ignoring the second pinch of pain he squeezed and pushed. There was the squeaking sound of metal being pressed together and Thor used a shoulder to push the door open.

Slipping swiftly inside Thor carefully closed the door as quietly as he could and turned around to find Loki standing immediately in front of him. The disapproving glare on his Brother's face only added to the lurch of Thor's suddenly pounding heart and he slammed himself back against the door, clutching his chest.

Loki imperiously held up a finger in Thor's face. "My balcony latch and lock." A second finger snapped up. "A knife sized hole in my couch." A third finger was added and all three poked in Thor's face. "And now, the very door to my chambers has been breached by your reckless and unnaturally large paws." Loki gave him a scathing look of disgust. "All of which you have managed to accomplish within less than a morning."

Thor held out his palm. "Am I poisoned?" They both glanced down at the blood that was slowly seeping from the four small puncture wounds.

"Of course." Loki snorted while giving him a look of disbelief.

"Oh." Thor wiped his hand on his pants.

"What brings you back to disturb me again so soon?" Loki turned and walked into his sitting room. The faint light in the wall sconces brightened just enough to make the corners visible. There was no sound as Loki sat on a large and comfortable leather chair, propping his feet on a footstool while waiting expectantly.

Following after, Thor walked around the room, looking at various items. "What would you have me take back to you on Midgard?"

Loki's head turned to follow Thor's movements while looking on in puzzlement. "Take back to me? What ever do you mean?"

"I need to return to you. I need to go now." Thor picked up a tan bottle off the desk and held it up to peer inside while shaking it.

Loki caused the bottle to fly from Thor's hands and fly into his own where it promptly vanished. His eyes narrowed. "Now? Why? What did you do?"

Thor picked up a small crystal from the desk. "I may have knocked a dungeon guard unconscious." His eyes glanced at Loki in time to see his Brothers eyes grow large. "Trust me," Thor poked the crystal towards Loki, "he deserved it and more."

Loki pulled the crystal from Thor's fingers, it vanished in the air. After a moment he asked, "Why would you bring me something?"

Thor moved around to the other side of the large desk, poking at papers. He picked up a simple wooden pencil which also flew from his fingers to Loki's. It vanished as well. "I don't know what you will need once the collar is removed. What would you need on Midgard that is here in your chambers? Anything that would help you?" Thor leaned over a table to poke a finger at the skeleton of a small bird that was being assembled. He touched the wing and several bones fell off.

Loki scowled. "I would have need of nothing." He motioned and the bones returned to their proper place. "Stop touching my things."

"You would want nothing? None of this at-" Thor looked about while he waved a hand around which hit the bird skeleton and scattered all the bones. He tried to grab at the bones and they both saw large drops of blood fall to the table. Thor looked down at the blood on the page of a scroll that was unrolled and weighted down with small rocks. There was a lifelike ink drawing of a bird in both its skeletal form and with feathers. The blood soaked into the parchment. 

Thor looked at his palm, the blood was flowing rather than beading. He turned his palm over then once more wiped it on his pants. "Then what about before I get the collar off? For you the child?" He wiped at his forehead, he was sweating.

Once more putting the birds skeleton back together with a wave of his fingers Loki looked at him with a startled expression. His mouth opened and closed several times and his eyes slid away before coming back to look at his Brother with a guarded and suspicious gaze. "What do you mean? Why would you ask me this?" Loki pulled his feet from the footstool and brought them up on to the chair. He suddenly looked much younger than even his young years with his knees tucked nearly under his chin. "Why would you do this for me?"

Thor shook his head as he walked back to the desk and picked up a glass and metal object. He turned it over in his hands while staring at Loki. "I mean no trick. You as a young child," he shrugged. "You seem unsettled. I would know if there is something you have that would soothe you. You are the person to ask, you know yourself best." Thor stared at Loki. He spoke quietly, "I no longer would hazard a guess. I seem to not know you as well as I thought."

Loki went to speak then closed his mouth. His eyes shifted away, then back. "Here, sit and let me heal your hand before you die. I would not like to have your corpse rotting in my chambers with no maids to remove you." Loki's voice was gruff and abrupt as he stood and motioned Thor over to the large chair. He again motioned to it impatiently when Thor slowly made his way over.

Thor allowed Loki to turn him and roughly push him into the chair. He felt slightly light headed and glanced back at his palm, it appeared that the blood was coming rather faster than before. He raised his hand to look but Loki made an irritated sound and took it into his own hands.

"Would I truly die?" Thor thought his voice came from some other part of the room and he turned his head to look and see where. There was a darkness around the edges of his vision and he decided that he wasn't going to do that again so he laid his head back against the chair.

"Of course. What is the point of a poisoned entrance if it doesn't actually kill the trespasser?" Loki sounded as though he were speaking to a rather dull witted child. He traced a shape into   
Thor's palm with a glimmer of green gold light and the blood flow stopped. "If it were anyone other than you they would be dead before they reached the healers." He snorted with laughter. "The first died before they made it out of the corridor."

Thor looked up at Loki through nearly closed eyes. "That's not very pleasant, Loki." He sounded disappointed.

Loki had set his palm on Thor's chest, he needed to clean the poison from his brothers blood. Now he paused and stared at him. Finally he spoke. "I'm not a very pleasant person, Brother." He sent the healing spell into Thor.

Thor snorted as his eyes closed. "Hush. Of course you are."

Loki continued to stare at his Brother for several more seconds before he shook himself free of the spell that was Thor's faith in him. 

Loki made a travel bag appear. A leather pouch on a drawstring, it would hold as many objects as it's owner wanted. If it could fit in the bag, the number of items was limitless. Or at least Loki had never found it possible to fill one. He walked around the room, studying various items. Most he passed over however there were a few he picked up and studied. Even fewer of these did he actually put into the bag. He went into his sleeping chambers for several items that he had no hesitation about, quickly slipping them into the bag with only a cautious glance over his shoulder. By the time he returned to the sitting room Thor was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his head almost low enough to rest on them as well.

Thor raised his head only enough to glare at Loki who chuckled at the horrible look on his brothers face. "Oh Brother." Loki grinned, "You look as though you have been wenching, feasting and dying all in one eve."

Thor narrowed his eyes. "I believe I have." He lowered his head.

Loki came to Thor and heavily placed his hand on the back of his neck. Thor groaned in pain then in relief as Loki pulled the pain from his head and body. When Thor looked up Loki dropped the travel pouch into his hands. "Here, for the boy. And only him." Loki turned and walked towards the desk.

Thor poked a finger into the drawstring to pull it open enough to peek inside then hissed in pain. He jerked his finger back and put it in his mouth to take some of the sting away.

Loki turned to look at Thor in disbelief. He slowly opened his mouth, "I honestly do not know how you have survived to your adult years." He gave a long suffering sigh while speaking to himself, "I just healed the brainless lack wit and he goes poking about in objects that clearly do not belong to him." He shook his head as he opened a drawer and grabbed something from it.

Thor was now standing, the pouch hanging from his belt. He easily caught the item Loki wordlessly tossed at him, a small leather bag that jingled. He recognized the heavy coin bag and looked at Loki with a raised brow.

"For my keep." When Thor would have said something Loki sharply raised his hand. "I would not be in debt to your friends."

Thor nodded, this he understood. "As you wish." Lok nodded his thanks.

"Now go, Brother. You have stayed longer than you should have."

"Perhaps you should not have poisoned me."

"Perhaps you should have knocked."

Thor stared at Loki with an open mouth. He slowly nodded. "Perhaps I should have." He turned to leave then spun about on his heel with a stunned look on his face. He pointed at Loki. "You touched me." His voice was full of wonder. "I felt you."

Loki looked uncertain for just an instant then understanding came over his face and he started shaking his head. He put up a hand, "Now Thor, I can only do that for a few seconds, just long enough to heal you."

Thor grinned. "Or hug me."

Loki's face fell. "That's a waste of my power. Plus I will stab you."

Thor ignored him, "Bah, now that is truly a waste of your power." He swiftly came over and swept Loki up in a bone crushing hug. A whining squeak pressed out from Loki who could do nothing as both his arms were held down at his sides and his feet were off the ground. Thor finally set him down then wiped at suspiciously wet eyes and cleared his throat. "I will see you again, Brother." He turned and went to the door, listened then opened it and slipped out into the empty hall.

Loki stood there, forcing his mouth to shut before he looked as lack wit as his brother was. How unexpected. And therefore suspect. Obviously more had happened between them than Thor had alluded to and it was something that Loki felt was important he know about. 

The lights in the sconces faded out but Loki remained sitting in the dark.


	18. Chapter 18

Barton sat in the common room, his fingers held an arrow that he was tapping against his thigh. He was sitting on the couch, leaning against the arm with several pillows piled up behind him. Staring into the distance he let his mind roam free. He wasn't sure why but he felt the need to think even though he couldn't decide what he needed to think about. So he just let his brain free float.

He heard the elevator door open and saw Steve come out, his hair sticking up in random directions and still damp from a shower. He watched as the super soldier spotted him and the two men gave friendly head nods to each other.

Steve grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl, tucked it under his arm then grabbed an apple and took a bite out of it. Going to the fridge he peered inside before grabbing a carton of milk.

Clint called out, "I'd sniff that first."

Steve opened it, sniffed then jerked his head back. "It's bad." He started pouring it in the sink.

Nodding Clint said, "Yeah, it was bad this morning too."

Steve turned to stare at the archer who just shrugged at him. Tossing the empty milk carton in the trash Steve went for the orange juice instead. He picked that carton up only to find it empty. He again found himself meeting the archers eyes.

Clint grinned, "That one was good."

Another carton in the trash and Steve just grabbed a glass and filled it with tap water which was actually filtered more than most bottled water. The two men glanced over to the elevator when the doors opened and they watched Nat walk out.

Dressed in black tight fitting workout clothes she gave Clint a smirking smile as she walked past. "Barton."

"Romanov." He said with the same smirk.

Taking the glass of water from Steve's hand Nat drank it down. "Thanks." She gave him a gentler smirk than the one she gave to Clint. "How you feeling this morning, Cap?" She handed him the glass back but didn't let go right away when he took it.

Steve stared at Nat until she let go of the glass then he refilled it and offered it to her. She shook her head but slipped the banana out from under his arm. He watched her peel it and take a bite all the while watching him. He narrowed his eyes at her extra innocent expression. "Just fine, Nat. How about you?"

She licked her lips, chewed and swallowed. "I'm just fine too." She took another bite.

Clint blew a raspberry. "Ohh, you two just get a room." He called out while making a face.

Nat fought to keep back a laugh and Steve grinned at Clint. "We have rooms."

"I mean one room. Together. God, you're like two teenagers."

Nat walked over and put her banana peel on his head. "I'd like to think I'm more mature than a teenager." She gracefully vaulted over the back of the couch and sat easily next to him. He had lifted his feet and now he dropped them onto her lap.

Steve grabbed another banana and headed towards the elevator. "See you guys later. I have a stack of reports to read."

"One of the perks of never learning to read." Clint yelled after him as the elevator doors closed. After a few moments of silence he grabbed the banana peel from the top of his head and tossed it on the table. "Up for a walk?"

Nat nodded and the two rose from the couch. 

They ended up stopping a few blocks away and sitting at a bench. There was a hot dog vendor that gave them each a discount on their dogs because having the two of them sitting there was good for business. It pulled some people in while keeping other people away. A win win as far as the vendor was concerned.

So they sat and munched on their chili dogs while people watching. After tossing their paper in the trash and letting out a huge belch in appreciation, Clint sat back down next to Nat and bumped her shoulder with her own.

He smiled and spoke under his breath, "you know somethings up with Stark, right?"

"Banner too." Nat looked at Clint. "They're keeping secrets. Extra secret secrets."

Clint shook his head, "Well that's not nice." He sat back against the bench and watched the endless traffic and people crowded on the sidewalks. "What'd you want to do?"

Nat shrugged. "If it involves Banner its something in the lab. Not just something Tony's doing."

Clint squinted at nothing, "I don't want to be poisoned again." He frowned. "That really wasn't fun."

Nat nodded. "Gather intel, then confront."

"Tell Fury?"

Nat slowly shook her head. "Hold off till we have something. Stark's always up to something Fury's gonna hate."

The two waved to the vendor, Clint shoved money in the tip jar and they walked back to the Avenger's Tower. Now it was time to do a little snooping.

Tony stared at the holographic screen in front of him. All of the lines a glowing orange, the diagram lines were neat and simple yet Tony looked them all over. He walked around it, looking at it from all angles. Nothing changed. He had been planning this for awhile now and reached a hand into the hologram and moved one part, knowing that he himself had declared there was no going back. When he removed his hand it was to raise both over his head in triumph.

"Yes! King me, J.A.R.V.I.S.!" He walked around with a smirk on his face which he wore as turned to look at Loki. "And that my young Padawan, is how you beat the worlds smartest AI in checkers."

Loki stared at Tony with an expression of unease on his face while his green eyes were watching Tony closely. The cape was still snugged up around his neck, hiding the collar while his fingers were mostly still under his chin where Steve had placed them. Tony had hours ago told the boy that Steve wasn't the boss of him and he could put his hands wherever he wanted. He could stick his fingers up his nose if he wanted to. That got no reaction but over the first half hour the boy had lost the look of terror. Then the look of fear and now Tony was thrilled with the looks of unease and suspicion if it meant that Loki wasn't afraid of him. 

The AI spoke, his tone almost petulant, "You cheated, Sir."

Tony shook his head. "Did not."

"You changed my skill level."

Tony shrugged. "It's checkers, not chess, buddy." Tony grinned at Loki. "Right kid?"

"Then why did you change my skill level, Sir?"

"No one likes a sore loser, J.A.R.V.I.S. Just accept it and move on." Tony stretched as he sat back down and rolled closer to Loki's bed. "So what next? How about poker? We could play for Q tips and tongue depressors." The only reaction from Loki was one finger poking at his bottom lip. "Okay, so poker is out." 

The elevator opened and Tony looked to see Bruce walking towards them. The man had taken a shower and changed clothes, he appeared much better than he had this morning.

Walking in Bruce glanced at the holoscreen, "checkers, Tony?"

"I won."

"You cheated, Sir."

"What did I say about a sore loser, J?" Tony stood.

Bruce smiled at Loki who was watching Bruce with mild interest but no fear. "Seems like you got him to calm down."

Tony shrugged with false modesty, "Yeah, well, you know how it is. Children and small animals love me."

Bruce slowly moved to switch the IV bag. "You hate animals."

Tony gave an exaggerated gasp while looking at Loki. "Did you hear that, kid? He called me a liar." Tony grinned, "I don't hate animals. I just don't want anything to do with them. I'm not a pet person." He winked at Loki. "At least not that kind of pet."

"Tony." Bruce was frowning, looking at Tony with disappointment.

Tony grinned in mock surprise. "Why Bruce! What are you're implying? There's a child here. Get your mind out of the gutter." Tony gave Loki another knowing look.

Bruce felt his face blush but he just shook his head with an involuntary smile. "You're too much Tony."

"That's exactly what she said but we made it work." Tony was having too much fun at his friends expense but he also knew he had to head to his workshop. He went over and gave Bruce a side hug and shook him. "You know I love teasing you, Brucie. You're just so cute when you're all embarrassed." He reached out to pinch Bruce's cheek.

Bruce pushed him away, "yeah, yeah." 

When Tony moved back over to the bed where Loki lay watching them with those large green eyes he rested his hands on the bed rail. "Hey kid. I've gotta go but Bruce is here now. He's not half as fun as me so I'm sure he'll bore you into taking a nap or something. I'll be back though. Then I'll have a rematch with J.A.R.V.I.S., give him another chance to knock the king of checkers off his throne."

"Only if you don't cheat, Sir."

Tony waved a hand dismissively. "Don't listen to him kid, he just wants my crown." Tony gave Loki a thumbs up, "Okay, I'll see you later."

When Tony walked out Bruce followed him, the two men unthinkingly turning to face each other so that they could both still turn their heads to observe Loki who was just watching them.

Bruce asked, "How did you get him calm?"

"Just talked to him and never shut up. Told him what I was going to do but never really asked for permission." Tony glanced over to see those green eyes staring at him, a tiny finger poking at a scab below his lip where the thread had gone through his skin.

"There's been something that been bothering me since Loki first got here." Tony frowned and looked at Bruce questioningly. Bruce went on. "I've been comparing Loki's reaction to being here to that of a human child's. The most blatant difference is that he's so quiet, he refuses to make a sound."

"Come on Bruce." Tony was uncomfortable. "The kid had his mouth sewn shut. For who knows how long. That's a pretty big sign that someone wanted him to keep quiet."

Bruce had been nodding his head. "But now he's free. Other than when he first woke up he's been silent, he's fought against making any sound. And don't you think it's odd that he has had no reaction to Thor leaving him? That's his brother. The one person that he seems to know and he shows no reaction when Thor leaves. A normal kid would be hysterical."

Tony was standing with his arms folded. He agreed with Bruce, he had been thinking some of the same thoughts, the kid shouldn't just be laying there with no reaction to strange people being around him. "Unless." Tony looked at Bruce thoughtfully. "Maybe he's used to not knowing anyone around him. Do you think his guards changed so often that he never got used to seeing the same ones too often?"

Bruce folded his arms, bringing one hand to his mouth where he rubbed at his lips. He ended up shrugging. "Could be. But I can't imagine they would want too many people knowing about what was being done to him. I would think they would keep to the same people."

Tony shrugged and sighed. He stretched, he was exhausted. "Yeah, that makes sense. Which means that I have no idea why he's not freaking out about. It's not like we're gonna beat him if he cries or makes a noise."

Tony had been turning to leave when his words registered in his brain and he turned to look at Bruce. They stared at each other then looked at Loki who still was watching them. And then Tony felt a tightness in his chest. He didn't realize when his hand came up to press at the arc reactor, moving to rub around the edges where metal met flesh.

Both men knew that this was the most likely reason Loki was silent. In his past somewhere he had learned to be silent. To be quiet and not make a sound. No matter what was being done to him. That the consequences of making a sound would be worse than whatever he had to endure.

Bruce breathed in through his nose, it was a sad, raggedy breath that didn't do much to feed his need for oxygen so he opened his mouth and took a larger one. And had a sudden vision of Loki being unable to do that simple action. To take a breath and fill his lungs. Of not being able to cry. Bruce had to think that Asgardian noses would get just as congested as human ones. If Loki cried and he couldn't breath through his nose - Bruce shook his head violently to force his mind to stop thinking of kids suffocating because they had stuffy noses.

Tony had gone still, his fingers pressed into the skin of his stomach, his nails cutting through the fabric of his t shirt enough to cause just enough pain to keep him grounded. At least grounded enough that he was able to focus his thoughts on what he needed to do to make sure Loki never, ever, ended up back in Asgardian hands. Tony would wipe his ass on the treaty between the worlds and use it to start the fire to burn Asgard down before he willingly sent Loki back. Even if Loki were bat shit crazy trying to get earth to kneel while wearing cow horns the size of Texas. Nope. Not gonna happen.

He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I've got some things to take care of. Call me if you need me. I'll be back."

Bruce nodded. "Yeah, will do."


	19. Chapter 19

Thor entered his rooms and headed straight to his bed chambers. He was pulling his shirt over his head as he went, tossing it on the floor as soon as it was free. His bed was empty, made up neatly and any sign of last nights revelries were gone. Entering his dressing chamber he sat on a large couch and began removing his boots. Once done he pulled his belt off then his pants, tossing them aside. He grabbed the nearest set of fresh clothes and quickly pulled them on, fastening his belt once more. He pulled on a pair of boots more suited to light combat that everyday wear.

From a shelf he grabbed a traveling satchel and stuffed more clothes inside it. Multiple pairs of boots followed as well since he could never find suitable footwear on Midgard. His hands paused then grabbed a couple formal tunics, he had no idea if he would need them but he also didn't think he would be able to return if he did.

On a shelf were several boxes which he picked up tentatively and opened slowly. Inside were multiple items of jewelry. Rings, cuffs, chains, broaches. All of precious metals. With a sigh he shoved all the boxes into the satchel. He grabbed several knives from other shelves and those went into the satchel as well. He grabbed a long, leather coat and rolled it into a rather large ball, into the satchel it went.

Into his bedroom he looked around but saw nothing he needed then went next into his study. It was bare if compared to Loki's. The shelves held few books, those that were there were of historical battles, military hero's and tactics. His desk held maps of battle locations from the past and maps of current problems. Area's where civil unrest and criminal activities were creating problems that were spreading the Asgardian forces thin. Thor felt guilty. He should be leading those forces.

He walked around to a drawer in his desk and pulled it open. Just as Loki did, he kept a coin bag there and his was heavy with coins. The Heir of Asgard was rarely allowed to pay for anything. He picked up a second, even heavier than the first. He opened this one, spilling its contents into his hand just to be sure. Raw and cut jewels tumbled out along with gold, silver and other precious metals from distant reaches of space. He shoved them back and pulled the string.

Both pouches along with the one Loki had given him were dropped into the satchel. He looked once more about the chamber, searching for any other item he could want with him in his exile. For that's what it would be. Once he left Asgard this time, he would not be returning. At least he knew for not how long. Possibly not until he was called back as King. And he knew Odin had many years left in him to rule.

His eyes spied a small book on the shelf and he walked over to grab it. He flipped through it, the pictures bringing back memories. Into the satchel. He could think of nothing else and knew that he didn't have the time to wait to ponder. He pulled the bag over his head and let the weight settle across his shoulder and against his hip. The bag was lighter and thinner than it should be, a name day gift from Loki when he had gone on one of his first battle campaigns. It held everything.

Walking over to his chamber door he grasped the latch then paused. He took a look over his shoulder at his sitting room. All the items in it. Large and comfortable. He had gone from the nursery to these chambers. Most of the furniture had changed as he out grew it, though there were still a few that remained. However these chambers were where he had grown up. He had lived in them for over a thousand of his years. He shook his head, he didn't have time for this. He pulled the door open then walked out, pulling it shut behind him with a finality.

A long moment later the door burst back open and Thor jogged back through. He quickly went back into his dressing room where he grabbed his pants from the floor. He yanked the bracelet Loki had made for him just this morning out of the pocket. Dropping the pants once more to the floor he jogged back out of the rooms and again the door shut behind him.

He walked down the corridor with purpose. He needed to get to the Bifrost Observatory, have Heimdall send him to Midgard and soon after vanish. But first he needed to get out of the palace. He walked with a quick step but without hurry. Guards nodded to him and he saw nothing different in their treatment of him. 

He had exited the palace, made it down the steps and was walking through a lesser used passageway to a minor gate and had already spied it's two guards when several figures stepped out from an archway. They were followed by several others. His way was blocked.

Thor came to a halt and one man stepped forward, Thor recognized him as one of Reapt's personal guards. The man gave a barely acceptable bow then spoke, "Your Highness. We have been given the honor to escort you into the presence of the AllFather."

Thor let the words hang in the air for longer than was proper before he turned on his heel and headed back the way he had come. He had felt like he was so close to the gate but the truth was, as long as he remained in Asgard he was never far enough away from the AllFather's grasp. 

He ignored the curious glances that came his way as he swiftly marched to his audience with Odin. He refused to be escorted and instead forced Reapt's men to trot along behind him to keep up. By the time the guards at the doors had pulled them open for him he was able to enter far enough ahead that he was alone when both Reapt and the AllFather first looked his way.

Thor didn't hold back the smug feeling at Reapt's startled look as that man's eyes darted from Thor to the men who entered several paces behind him and at an undignified jog. The AllFather's lips thinned but he gave no other sign of an emotion. Thor stopped at the bottom of the steps, only paces away from Reapt who he ignored, and gave Odin a respectful bow and fist to his chest.

"Father. You wished to speak to me before I left?" Thor knew there was no sense in hiding the fact he was leaving. He scrambled to think as Loki would.

Odin raised an eyebrow. He obviously hadn't expected his son to admit he was leaving. Before he could speak another voice echoed in the chamber. Reapt took several threatening steps towards Thor, his whole body language doing nothing to hide his anger. "You admit you were attempting to flee Asgard?"

Thor spun to face the man. "You dare speak in place of the AllFather?" His voice came out in a scathing hiss. "You who have been given no leave to speak and have no reason to assume the right? Back to your place, dog."

Thor's words caused a violent flush to come over the man's face. Reapt paused for just a moment but no words of rescue came from the AllFather so he took the steps back that brought him to where he stood before. Thor watched him the entire time, his eyes glancing down to the spot on the floor as if checking to make sure it was exactly where Reapt had started. Finally Thor removed his attention from the man now vibrating with anger and looked back to his father.

He gave a small nod of his head, "Excuse me, Father, for taking affront in your place. But I can not be silent with this one, knowing he has lied to us both." Thor could only dare to hope that this was something Loki would do.

There were sharp intakes of breath from the few in the chamber. What Thor had accused Reapt of was punishable by death. And one given out by the AllFathers own hand. Reapt himself was sputtering.

"How dare you!" The man again took a step forward. "How dare you!"

Thor turned to give a sneering glare at Reapt. His words a calming contrast to the Captain's loud words. "I dare because it is the truth."

Finally Odin became involved with the drama playing out before him by raising a hand, calling for silence. He had kept his eyes on Thor, now he leaned slightly forward, when he spoke his voice was thoughtful, interested yet cautious. "That is a serious accusation." He leaned back and raised a hand to his mouth, rubbing a finger along his lips. "One that ruins a mans reputation at the least. Takes his honor and life at most." Odin stared into Thor's bright blue eyes with his one, seeking to see what his son was about.

Thor nodded sharply. By the first Gods he hoped for Loki's silver tongue just this once. Please, just this one time. "We both were told by Captain Reapt that Loki was placed on the first level and it was only due to his violence that he was moved down levels. Today I have learned this is untrue. Loki was never placed in the first level. Or any of the top levels. He was moved to the below levels the first day. And Loki never said he did not wish to see me. That was a lie. As was the lie told to Mother, he did not refuse her either."

The three men were silent. Thor stood tall as he stared back into Odin's eye. He knew his father was in on the lie. But also knew that Odin would never admit it.

Reapt stood silent. He was unable to speak. He could say nothing in his defense. How could he claim that he was following the orders of the AllFather? To do so would be saying that the AllFather was a liar. Reapt had told Thor what the AllFather had ordered him to say.

Odin simply sat on his throne, his finger slowly moving back and forth over his lip until he lowered his hand. He looked at Reapt. "Perhaps there was a misunderstanding."

Reapt decided that the AllFather was handing him one chance to save himself, one chance to solve how he would save his own life. He grasped at it with desperation though he knew he could not challenge the lie outright. He took another step towards Thor and demanded, "How did you come by this so called information? The AllFather's guards that you dared to assault?"

Thor turned his head and looked Reapt over with contempt. That emotion didn't come naturally to him but he knew the look. He had seen it on Loki's face enough to mirror it perfectly. He walked towards that man, "Dared? Dared?" He continued forward even as Reapt startled backwards, over the smooth floor they almost looked like dancing partners.

Reapt's eyes darted to his men, they stood as statues. They couldn't even think of aiding him, not against the Crown Prince and most certainly not in the presence of the AllFather. They would be struck down before their second step. Reapts eyes went back to the god stalking him. Forcing him back, step by humiliating step.

"There is that word again." Thor didn't have to pretend, he felt the insult to his core and it rang true in his voice. He had never heard himself speak in such a tone, full of deadly power and cruel intent. "You forget to whom you speak. I am the next king of Asgard. I dare nothing." The low voice held the promise of a king's blade at a soft throat. "Just because I have not demanded my due as royal heir does not mean that I can not do so at this very moment and demand you kneel before me." 

Odin watched emotionlessly.

Thor stopped and after several more steps Reapt forced himself to do the same. Towering over the now hunch shouldered man Thor spoke low but in the cold silence of the throne room the words echoed to the farthest corners. "You forgot your place with my Brother and survived. Do not think to test another son of Odin and have the same result."

That man raised his eyes to look beyond Thor to the AllFather who now was simply watching with a look of interest. There would still be no aid from that quarter. Reapt raised a single hand in a plea, "Your Highness, I apologize." Reapt lowered his head to stare at the floor. Not in the deference that it appeared but in fury of being humiliated and abandoned for simply doing his job as asked of him by the one being in the Realms that he could not refuse. "Please."

Leaving Reapt to remain where he was, shoulders still hunched, Thor turned and walked back to stand in front of Odin. He used those steps to try to stop the vibrating of his hands, even he could smell the ozone in the air. "I was going to go back and check the Realms again. If those we should trust the most have lied to us then I must return. If I don't find any sign of Loki then I wish to gather Sif and the Warriors Three so we may rejoin our troops returning the Realms to peace." Thor gave Odin a slight bow then waited.

Odin stared at his son then slowly nodded while giving a dismissive wave of one hand. His one blue eye watched as the boy backed away then turned and walked out. Once the doors closed after him he turned his eye to Reapts figure. That man had raised his eyes and now the AllFather called him over with a single motion of a finger.

This time when leaving the palace Thor went out the front gates, heading straight to the observatory. The whole time he was going over what had just happened, he could only hope that he had learned enough from Loki to have made Reapt's life miserable. Once there he called for Heimdall to send him to Midgard and ignored the Watchers keen eyes. Thor's mind was too exhausted to have another all-seeing being looking into his soul.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My normal writing style calls for very little descriptive language. My stories are an exercise in trying to be exact in what's occurring. However in looking at how long it's taken me to get to Annie returning to the story I now have questions.
> 
> Is this story too descriptive in what is occurring?  
> Should I skip over some of the action and assume you the reader can fill it in?  
> Is it too detailed?
> 
> Thanks,  
> DayWriter

Bruce sat with his back against the bed, he was on the rolling stool so he kept both feet on the floor. There was a hologram in front of him, it showed a single frame taken from a single page of one of his latest projects. There were multiple items in the frame, mainly a cross section of the same virus at different stages. Glancing back over his shoulder Bruce saw the green eyes were still open wide, moving back and forth between the frame and his face. 

Bruce gave a smile, turned back and pointed while adding, "Now, you think that would be the same as strand sixteen D but you see this build up right here?" He stuck a pencil into the exact spot in the hologram. "It took thirty-nine minutes and seven point two seconds. Exactly. All the previous ones took thirty-nine and eight seconds. Exactly. One hundred and eighty-six times, same results. And I can't find one difference. I've had J.A.R.V.I.S. run the same tests -" Bruce shrugged. "Nothing yet." He folded his arms and let out a deep sigh. Turning on the chair he faced Loki. "I should have more results tonight but -" He shrugged again while scratching the back of his neck. "You know how it is." 

While Loki's green eyes met his with caution and no outright fear, there was also no real interest in them either. His fingers were softly plucking at his lips but his mouth still never opened. He was leaning back against the slightly raised bed, his head resting against a pillow. He hadn't moved at all so Thor's red cape remained tucked around his neck. His legs were folded up underneath. He gave the impression of a long legged foal. 

Bruce glanced at his IV bag and saw that it was empty. He rose carefully, "lets get you switched out, yeah? You're on the last of these vitamins. That's good." He hung another bag. "We should get you on more solid foods. Nothing too drastic, some soup or jello. Maybe some milk, yeah?" 

Bruce came back around to face Loki once more. In all the hours they had been together the boy hadn't changed expressions more than fractionally. He had been visibly uneasy when Tony had left so Bruce had decided to follow Tony's lead and just talk to him. He had told Loki what he was doing, rambled about his latest projects which had led to his discussing several different topics until recently when he had expressed his frustration on an issue with one. He had used Loki much as he used Tony, a sounding board. They both were perfect. Tony didn't pay him any attention and Loki didn't say anything. Now the boy continued to just watch him. 

Bruce asked in a soothing tone, "J.A.R.V.I.S. where's Tony?"

"Sir is out of the Tower. He is on route back to the tower and should return at any time."

Bruce frowned slightly, "Did he say where he was going?"

"My apologies, sir." The AI sounded pained. "Sir stated that if anyone asked where he had gone I was to advise them to stop being such a, and I regretfully quote, 'McSnoopy Pants' sir."

Bruce snorted lightly, "No worries, J.A.R.V.I.S. We both know the trials and tribulations of dealing with Tony."

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

"How about Steve?"

"The Captain has just returned with his lunch and is at this time in the common room. With Agents Barton and Romanov."

Bruce looked worried and glanced at Loki then said, "Put the security feed from there onto the monitor in the other room." Bruce gave the bed railing a gentle tap then spoke softly to Loki. "Hey Buddy. I need to go into the other room to watch something." He pointed over his shoulder, Loki's eyes followed his finger then came back to Bruce's face. There was zero change of expression on his face. "You'll still be able to see me. If you want you can close your eyes and take a nap. You gotta be tired after my boring lectures." Bruce gave a lopsided smile which slid off when he got nothing back from Loki. "Okay. I'll be back. Holler if you need anything."

When the door closed behind him Bruce spoke, "Turn the volume up, I need to hear what everyone is saying." Once he was in front of the monitor Bruce folded his arms and stood staring down at the screen.

In the common room Steve had sat down with his bags of food. One held three extra large fries. The other bag had three triple layer burgers with everything. He'd also been able to hold a container of milk with a couple free fingers. He had already grabbed a glass and now ripped the bags open and grabbed a couple fries. 

Having come into the room suspiciously soon after Steve, Nat came over and sat at the table next to him. She picked up several fries and nibbled on one. 

Barton had no such manners. He grabbed a small handful and shoved half in his mouth. Steve glared at him but said nothing, there was a reason he order extra large when he brought food back to the Tower to eat. 

Nat stared at Steve, waiting until he had taken a large bite from his burger before she casually said, "Bruce and Tony have a secret." 

Steve kept chewing, reaching out and opening the carton of milk and pouring himself a glass. When Barton reached for a burger he slapped his hand and handed him the bag of fries he'd already been eating from. He ignored Clint's grin while finishing his mouthful. He took a swallow of his milk. "So? They always have secrets." 

Nat raised an eyebrow. "A special secret." She saw a blush on Steve's cheeks and rolled her eyes. "Not that kind of secret." Clint snickered then dodged and stuffed another fry in his mouth when Steve would have grabbed the bag back. "I mean they're up to something that we should know about."

Steve frowned and ate a fry. He shrugged. "They're always up to something." He held up a hand while holding up a fry. "I mean they're always up to something that we should know about and other than that one incident last year -"

Clint interrupted indignantly. "They poisoned us! That's more than just an incident." 

Steve took another bite of a fry, ignoring Clint and keeping his eyes on Nat. "Other than that one incident last year, they haven't pulled anything too dangerous. So what's got you so certain they're up to something we need to dig deeper into." He took another bite out of his burger, wiping his chin with the cheap napkin that was tissue thin and worthless. 

Clint spoke around a mouthful of fries, "Because J.A.R.V.I.S. won't tell us where they are." Clint raised his voice and rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "Ain't that right, you spying bastard?" 

There was silence.

Nat raised an eyebrow at Steve's questioning look and Clint nodded. "See? He won't answer anything about where they are or what they're up to. And he always knows. But suddenly that info is top secret so they're up to something and it's happening right here under our noses." Clint used the last fry to tap the table. "In the Tower." He shoved the fry in his mouth, crumbled the fry bag and threw it on the table while he reached for another one from Steve's pile. "Plus the phones aren't working." 

Steve frowned and slapped his hand away. He finished off his first burger and unwrapped his second, before he could take a bite Nat reached over and took it out of his hands and took a bite. While Steve watched her Clint reached over and grabbed more fries. Steve shook his head as he accepted the burger back from Nat, their hands brushing against each other since she didn't let go right away. "That's a pretty big stretch, which may not mean anything. Maybe they just don't want to be bothered."

Nat picked up another fry and took a bite while staring at Steve. "Ask him."

"What?" Steve swallowed without fully chewing and tapped his chest at the pain. "Ask who what?"

"Ask J.A.R.V.I.S. where they are."

Steve looked between Nat and Clint. Then he sighed and rolled his eyes. "J.A.R.V.I.S.?"

"Yes, Captain?" 

Nat raised an eyebrow at Steve getting an answer, she pushed the last of her fry into her mouth with a fingernail painted red and sucked the salt off it while Steve watched. Clint huffed and grabbed more fries. Steve turned to glare at him then slid a bag at him and shoved a burger into his hands. Clint grinned smugly and started unwrapping it. "Do you know where Stark is?"

"Yes, Captain. He is in his garage at this time."

Clint smacked Steve's arm, "I hate onions. And tomatoes." He was pulling the offending items off with the tips of two fingers. 

Steve didn't seem impressed and was about to speak when the elevator doors opened and Bruce stepped out. He paused slightly when he stepped out and saw the three turning to stare at him but then continued on. He gave a self conscious wave. "Hey guys." Walking further in he headed over to the fridge. "Man that smells good. Where'd you go, Steve?" He opened the fridge and looked inside. Eventually he opened a cabinet and grabbed a couple packs of cookies. 

"Rudy's"

Bruce got a juice glass out of a cabinet and came over, he grabbed a fry off the table.

Steve tossed a hand up in defeat and worked on finishing his burger. It only took a couple bites more but he wasn't able to say anything with his mouth full.

Bruce grabbed a couple more fries, "I love the season salt they use." He poured some milk into the glass.

Clint nodded, "I know, right?" Nat reached into the pile at the same time as Bruce, "Where you been, big guy? We haven't seen you and J.A.R.V.I.S. won't tell." 

Bruce nodded. "I've been working on something, I told him not to give my location out. I kept getting interrupted by S.H.I.E.L.D. people with important," Bruce made air quotes, "questions or paperwork or requests. It was like everyone suddenly needed my full attention."

Clint swallowed the last of his burger. "So, what are you working on? Top secret stuff?" 

Another shrug, "Kinda." Bruce looked at Clint oddly. "Why would you want to know what I'm working on?" He glanced suspiciously at Nat. "Did Fury order you to ask me?" He waved his hands about. "You know what. Forget about it." He grabbed the glass of milk and hugged his packs of cookies. "If he wants to know what I'm doing tell him he can come ask me himself." He walked towards the elevator and called out over his shoulder. "Or better yet, don't bother. I'll be done when I'm done."

The elevator doors closed and he was gone.There was silence for a moment then Steve picked up his trash and balled it up as he walked it all to the kitchen garbage can. He came back to Clint finishing off the last of the fries and licking his finger then pressing them into the last of the salt on the table. Steve watched him with a shake of his head then grabbed his carton of milk. "Well, I guess your secret, secret mystery has been solved." Steve gave a shrug. "Sounds like Bruce is working on the same old secret stuff as always. Which hopefully doesn't include us being poisoned again." 

Nat didn't look convinced while Clint folded his arms and slouched down in his chair. He stubbornly said, "I still think somethings up."

Steve turned and headed for the elevator. "Could be. Just don't get in their way while you snoop around."

"Hey!" Clint called out after him. "Why you taking that milk?"

Walking backwards Steve gave him a disapproving look. "If I put it in the fridge are you going to drink it?"

"Of course."

Steve raised his free hand as if tossing the answer in the air then continued to the elevator.

When the elevator door closed Clint sat up straight and he moved to sit right next to Nat. His face had cleared of the petulant expression as he leaned in and breathily whispered, "Banner is lactose intolerant."

Nat turned her head to look at him and raised an eyebrow. Then it was her turn to lean in and tell the archer, "Steve's in on it." Clint's head jerked back so he could stare at her, she nodded when he looked at her in disbelief. "He would give you his fries but never his burger."

Quietly he breathed out, "We're surrounded."

When Steve stepped out of the elevator his first sight was Bruce standing in front of a monitor watching the common room. Steve just caught Nat and Clint walking out of the frame, disappearing who knows where. He set the carton of milk on the desk where the glass of milk was along with the cookies. "Now I know how you showed up at just the right time." Steve had glanced at Loki, the boy was laying in bed, his face turned towards them, just watching.

"Oh God, I thought my heart was going to burst do you think they bought it I don't think they did what do you think?" Bruce leaned on to the desk, resting on his elbows.

Steve patted the scientist on the back. "You did fine. They are suspicious, but hopefully we were able to slow them down or at least turn them in a different direction." Steve kept his eyes on Loki. "How is he?"

Bruce raised his head up then slowly stood. His nature didn't allow him to be as hopeful as Steve. In his mind Nat and Clint were going to burst out of the elevator any second with Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents just itching to do something that involved Bruce getting very angry. He took a deep breath and steadied his nerves. "He's almost done with this round of supplements. I'm thinking about just starting him on another round, who knows when Thor will get back."

Steve watched as Bruce pulled his glasses off and rubbed his face roughly before shoving them back on. "Are they helping?"

Bruce shook his head. "Probably not. He needs something in his stomach, he needs to eat." Bruce picked up the glass of milk and the packs of cookies. "Speaking of which." 

Steve grabbed his milk carton and followed. "Cookies? Not exactly nutritious, doctor."

Bruce opened the door. "No, but all he has to take is one bite to start." Bruce sat on the stool and set the cookie bags on the bed while lowering the bed railing. "Hey, buddy. I told you I'd be back. Sorry I took so long but look what I brought you. A glass of milk." He hit the button that raised the head of the bed so Loki was sitting up slightly more.

Steve abruptly wondered, "Do you think they have cows on Asgard?"

Bruce frowned then twisted to look back up at Steve. "Uh, I don't know."

"I mean, its another planet, right?"

"Um, yeah. I guess, something like that." Bruce looked at Loki who was watching the conversation go back and forth between the two of them.

"So why would they have earth cows?"

"What?"

"I'm just wondering if they even drink milk."

Bruce looked confused and felt confused as well. This was a good point and he scratched his forehead. He gave Loki a weak smile. "Okay, so this is milk. It's, uh," he studied the glass of liquid, "well its secreted from a lactating female mammal from her mammary glands to provide -"

Steve set the carton of milk on the counter as one hand slapped the doctors shoulder. "My God, Bruce. Here, just take the milk. I don't think I'm ever going to drink it again."

"What?" Bruce twisted once more to look at Steve. "What, too much information?"

Steve was rubbing his eyes as though trying to scrub out a horrible sight. He opened his bright blue eyes and stared into Loki's green ones. "Listen, kid. It's a drink. Okay? It's a drink and it tastes good." He looked at Bruce. "There. Done."

Bruce nodded and his smile was painfully awkward. "Okay, lets try this again." He slowly brought the glass towards Loki's mouth.

Loki's eyes grew larger the closer the glass came to him and the blankness changed to fear as Loki looked from the glass to Bruce. His fingers began pinching his lips tighter, squeezing tight enough to leave white indentations. Bruce paused.

"Hey, its okay, you're okay." Bruce moved the glass closer by another inch then stopped as trembles began to shake the boys body, his legs starting to move.

Steve felt uncomfortable. "Bruce, maybe this isn't a good idea."

"He needs to start taking solids in by mouth. Just a sip."

There were several convulsive swallows by Loki, his throat moving as he seemed to be struggling to keep something down. Steve worried the kid would vomit even though he had nothing in his stomach.

Steve reached out for the glass. "Doctor." His voice was low but it was still an order. 

Reluctantly Bruce handed the glass over. He watched Loki slightly relax as he followed Steve turn away to set the glass on the counter. "Alright, no milk." Bruce picked up a bag of cookies and the crinkling sound drew Loki's attention. Bruce pulled the bag open and took out several cookies, he put one in his mouth and chewed it. After he swallowed he held up the second one, "It's a cookie. It's good. Here. Have it."

He held it out towards Loki who once more pressed away from it. His eyes darted up to Bruce, again the fear was back and growing. Bruce forced himself to ignore the look and kept moving the cookie closer. Loki pressed his head back, the fingers of both hands now working to squeeze tighter. Loki's legs were pressing against the mattress, his shoulders trying to move him back into the pillows.

"Okay, that's enough." Steve's voice was a loud command and he leaned forward to pull Bruce's arm back.

At that moment Loki looked up to Steve and a noise was heard from his throat. A high pitched squeak that caused his eyes to widen to their maximum and fill with terror. At the same time more noises seemed to escape from him involuntarily. His hands covered his mouth, as if to hold back the sounds of his fear but no matter how hard he tried they kept coming.

Bruce moved away, he was already prepping another sedative. He wondered why he hadn't just prepared a half dozen of them since it seemed like he could use them all. The sounds Loki was making had his hands shaking, he had caused this.

Steve reached over and carefully encircled the small hands within his larger ones. He was gentle but he wasn't going to let Loki do this, he tugged the boys hands from his mouth. He pulled pinching fingers from abused lips while noticing the expression coming over the kids face.

Steve hadn't seen this expression since the war. There he had seen it many times, different situation but this same expression. Fear that was flooding a mind, making reality wash away in the depths of a terror that was rising too deep to breathe. So deep that Loki was drowning, his eyes loosing their focus, his head shaking, his hands twisting, trying to get free.

And then it happened. A screaming wail came from Loki and it rose in volume until it died in a coughing fit that left the boy gasping and sputtering while trying to breathe. Steve had let go of Loki's hands, the boy didn't try to cover his mouth, Thor's cape had fallen from his shoulders to pool around his waist. Now he grabbed handfuls of it as he struggled to pull air into his lungs while still trying to scream his terror out in the midst of coughing.

Bruce fed the sedative into the line at the same moment Steve reached out and scooped Loki up into his arms. He pulled the kid close to his chest and wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly but not crushing him. The boy kicked, his legs seeming to be spasming. His back arched, arms flailed as he tried to escape. His pale face was red, tears streaked his face. He was retching as he tried to breathe, gasping for air. Growing weaker at times then starting anew. 

"Shhh, you're okay. It's okay. Quiet, buddy. Shhh." He rubbed at the kids bare back, making circles, then going up and down the spine. He felt the bones jutting out painfully. Steve could hardly feel any weight in his arms, Loki was so fragile. Steve rocked him, putting Loki's head below his own chin, pulling Thor's cape back up comfortingly around the frail form. "Come on, kid, you're okay. I promise. Shhh, no more screaming, I got you." Steve's voice was calm and rumbled in his chest. "Quiet, you're okay."

Bruce stood by helplessly. He watched Steve hold Loki, in the super soldiers arms the boy looked almost comically small. If Bruce still had any doubts about this being some elaborate hoax that Loki was perpetrating on them, this cleared them all away. This was a child who was in the middle of a near mental break because food had been presented to him. He grabbed at his hair, pulling tightly. His fault. He pushed too hard. The scientist in him just didn't know when to stop.

It was at this moment that the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. was heard over Loki who was still wailing weakly in Steve's arms as he struggled to get free. "Sirs, Mister Odinson has arrived on the roof and is making his way here."

Steve and Bruce exchanged looks, this was going to get a lot more complicated.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter before the return of Annie. Thank you for sticking through all the world building if you've been waiting for her.

Thor didn't care when J.A.R.V.I.S. suggested that he stop off in the common room where agent Romanov was to deflect suspicion. She knew he was here again and would wonder why he was suddenly making so many trips between Asgard and earth. He wanted, no, needed to see his brother and so he would. He felt no need to satisfy her curiosity, so he went directly from the roof to where Loki was being held. He was there in time to find Loki still wailing though it was quickly dying down to gasping cries at moments.

Seeing Steve holding his brother sent sparks of fear and anger through Thor and he came close to pulling doors off hinges trying to get to Loki. He had a fearsome anger on his face, his expression mirroring his emotions.

"What has happened? What did you do?" There was a dangerous demand in Thor's voice as he removed Loki from Steve's arms. Steve carefully but swiftly letting the kid go. 

"Careful!" Bruce called out, putting a hand on Thor and pushing him back closer to the bed. "Remember he's hooked up to some pretty tender lines."

All three men remembered the catheter and winced, Thor moved where he was directed, all the while Loki was still shaking and weakly struggling. Both his body and his strength to scream had been depleted, the sounds coming from him now were more related to the sounds of a small wounded animal.

"We were trying to start him on solid foods." Steve spoke, he wasn't about to let Thor's anger to focus on Bruce. "He didn't react well."

Bruce didn't say anything, he added another dose of the sedative to Loki's line. This time more to mentally calm him than physically, they could see his eyes were already wildly dilated.

Thor looked at Loki who was weakly moving in his arms even as he tried to pull Loki closer to his chest. He would occasionally lower his head to whisper to Loki soothing words in a language that sounded both foreign and old while trying to keep him still. 

"Ssshhh, hush Brother. I have you now. You are safe." Thor was awkward in his trying to physically comfort Loki. His muscles were ridged and this didn't help in calming Loki. When the low cries didn't stop and Loki was beginning to choke then turn red from coughing, Thor quickly set him back in a surprised Steve's arms.

Thor reached for Loki's travel bag that was slung over his shoulder and pulled it off over his head. He grabbed for the strings to pull it open and hissed in pain as he felt the sharp sting of Loki's magic snap on his fingers. It was like tiny teeth stabbing through them. It wasn't something he wanted to fight through when the proper way was right here.

He grabbed Loki's still weakly flailing hand and set it to the bags opening and the strings parted and Loki's hand slipped through with the faintest hint of a green glow as the magic recognized its maker. Even though it was in a slightly different form and restricted and damaged, magic knew itself. Loki's hand grasped something and Thor pulled his hand back out. The strings closed.

The three men stared at the object in Loki's hand, only Thor slowly smiled as he recognized what it was. His heart gave a sentimental lurch when he realized that his Brother had kept this, probably well hidden, despite everything it represented.

Steve and Bruce looked at what Loki had pulled from the bag and was now holding tightly to his face, all his noises having died down and his body finally relaxing. It was some type of a leather bag, like a pillow with most of its stuffing gone. There were a dozen thick leather cords hanging from all sides of it, several smooth wooden beads were on a few of them. It was about a foot square in size and looked as though it had been a dogs chew toy at one point. A few faded wide, green ribbons were tied in corners, it looked well used. 

"What is that?" Bruce asked with a curious frown. He was studying how both of Loki's hands had seemingly instinctually grabbed onto the flat leather pillow type object and practically shoved it to his face, his fingers grabbing onto and twisting into the ribbons. The boy was breathing deeply though his tears, his breath shuddering.

Thor took Loki from Steve then carefully sat on the bed. He stared down at the boy with relief while a hand gently rubbed through the short spiky hair to scratch the scalp. "It's a, well, I don't know what you would call something like it on Midgard." The men thought it could be a flat pillow but still looked more like a chew toy. "In Asgard it's called an ungekudde, or just a kudde. It's given to a babe to teach them to not need to be cared for. There are objects tied to it to interest them, a good babe can spend hours without needing to be attended to. Though it appears most of Loki's were worn off." Thor fingered one of the smooth, large wooden beads.

Bruce exchanged looks with Steve. They didn't fully understand what it was but were torn between being thankful it calmed Loki down and horrified that Asgardian infant care included teaching those infants to not have their needs attended to. Bruce tried to sound neutral, "Well it seems to have calmed him down."

Thor gave Loki a faint smile, "It's been spelled to smell like our mother." Thor let the smile fall from his face. He didn't want to think about Frigga while cradling his Brother in his arms.

Steve asked. "How was Loki able to find it? He just pulled it out without even looking."

Thor gave a crooked smile. "The bag is spelled, it knows what you're looking for so that when you reach in you grasp what you need. Otherwise you would never find what you're looking for." He kissed the top of Loki's head and pulled him closer then closed his eyes. His body seemed to relax and fold over Loki's, a protective exhausted ball of godly muscle.

Steve frowned, this wasn't Thor's natural state. He almost seemed defeated. "Hey, so what happened in Asgard?" His voice was curious while aware he was asking a difficult question.

Thor opened blue eyes and stared at Loki who's breathing was calming slightly, his eyes were half closed. His fingers twitched as he succumbed to both the large dose of an alien sedative in his veins and the consuming of energy he didn't have to spare. At least this time his mouth would open when he would take in a larger breath, his chest stuttering. There was the occasional whine from him as something went through his mind.

When Thor raised his head to look at them he asked, "Where is Stark? Should he not have appeared by now?"

Bruce thought about this and realized it was true, J.A.R.V.I.S. would have told Tony just the same as he had told them of Thor's arrival. Plus he hadn't seen him in awhile all things considered. "J.A.R.V.I.S. where's Tony?"

"Sir is still in the lower garage."

"What's he doing?" Steve frowned, there were only cars in the lower level garage.

"He is working on a vehicle."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Can you ask him if he can come up here?"

There was a pause then the AI reluctantly answered, "Sir requests the magic word."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Please."

Another pause and another reluctant reply, "Sir states that is not the correct answer."

Steve put his hands on his hips but it was Bruce who answered. "Tell Tony we do not have alcohol in here. If he wants a drink he'll have to get his own."

This time after the pause the AI sounded slightly better pleased. "Sir states he will accept the previous answer and will arrive shortly."

Steve and Bruce both let out sighs of various depths and leaned back against the counters to wait. Bruce had his scientific curiosity peaked at Thor's words about infant care and even though it wasn't near any of his fields he asked, "Are children in Asgard encouraged to not seek out adults for their care?"

Thor had turned slightly to sit sideways to make it easier to settle Loki on his lap while keeping him protectively in his arms. He pulled his cape around his Brother, he wanted to hide the still healing signs of a battered and abused body. The body of an Asgardian Prince. Thor nodded, "It's not such a tradition in the common folk but the higher you rise the more it is practiced. In the royal family it is considered the most acceptable practice."

Steve crossed his arms while his face had a slightly sad frown, "So you never got hugs from your mom?"

Thor looked up at Steve with a confused expression. "Of course I did. Loki and I both were much doted on by our Mother. We still receive both hugs and kisses from her." His face cleared in understanding. "Ah, what I meant is that those who cared for us, nurses, tutors, bodyguards, none of those provided affection or touch. It was not their place to give, nor was it ours to seek kindness from them. They are but servants. It is not appropriate to seek affection from so far out of our station."

Both Steve and Bruce once more had to exchange looks that asked if they were understanding the gods words correctly. They communicated silently and seemed to both feel they were because when Bruce spoke next Steve didn't object. "So what you're saying is that, no one in your life, outside of your mom or dad, has shown you affection?"

Thor scoffed and looked at the two men as though they were insane. "Of course not. I'm saying that those who are allowed to express affection to Loki or I are those who are close to us in standing. No one is equal to us, we're the heirs to the AllFather, King of the Nine Realms. Not even the son of a king has equal standing among us. Myself and Loki are the second and third most important beings in the Realms." He brushed his fingers through the strange prickly strands of hair on his Brothers head. He wasn't sure how they stood so straight up when Loki's hair naturally fell so straight down.

Thor looked at the two men. "In the other Realms I am affectionate with those who are my equals. As I am to all my Shield-Brothers and Sisters. Fighting beside someone makes equals of many." He smiled slightly. "And being here, on earth," He nodded as he said the local word for this realm and realized that he would need to remember to only use this word from now on. He continued, "I have learned that even those who are not of my standing are worthy of my affection."

The elevator doors opened and Tony stepped out, walking into the room with them. "Hey Point Break, glad you're back. Do you know how to drive?"

Thor stared at Tony as did Steve and Bruce. The Mechanic looked like he had been living up to his name. He was in blue jeans that were filthy with grease spots and several rips and what looked like spots of blood. He wore a long sleeved dark blue t-shirt that was just as stained, even his chin had grease smudges. His hands were covered in grease and grime.

"Uh, drive? A, uh, vehicle? Car?"

"No a jet ski." Tony rolled his eyes while grabbing the open bag of cookies that had been tossed on the counter. Not caring about the state of his hands he reached in the bag and grabbed a cookie and started eating. "Of course a car. Not a stick shift. Just a normal, standard car." Before Thor could speak Tony shook his head and waved an answer away with the hand holding the cookie bag. "You know what? Never mind. I've already taken care of it, I just thought you could actually drive at some point." He grabbed the glass of milk and took a drink then spit the contents into the sink that was thankfully right behind him in the counter he was leaning against. "God! What is that?" He spit several more times then turned the water on and cupped his hand to rinse his mouth out.

Steve frowned. "It's milk, Tony."

Tony turned back around, wiping at his mouth with his sleeve,"That's disgusting. Hasn't Bruce ever told you what's inside that stuff?"

Bruce interrupted before things could get much worse. "Hey, Thor was going to give us an update on what happened in Asgard."

Tony, still looking slightly ill, motioned with the cookie bag for Thor to begin. "Tell us what daddy Odin said. I'm guessing it wasn't anything good."

Thor sighed while staring down at Loki who know seemed to be asleep but he still didn't release the fragile little body. "You would be correct. He has refused to stop the physical punishment of Loki's sentence if he were to return. So there can be no returning to Asgard in this form for him." Thor ran a finger over the collars narrow band of metal that encircled the boys neck. "This must come off. At any moment the AllFather could decide to activate it and cause harm to Loki." Thor removed his hand.

"So does that mean you're staying here, on earth?" Tony asked while staring at Thor intently, his head tilted to the side.

Thor nodded. "I have no choice. I will not abandon him." He listened to the sound of Loki breathing, little puffs of breath between his lips. Thor felt his brother's chest rise and fall with each breath, such a small thing.

There was a lull in the conversation, Steve shifted on his feet and he stood up straight and stepped forward to stand next to Thor. He looked down at Loki, the boy was sleeping. Not peacefully and probably not naturally but at least he wasn't awake screaming. Steve spoke clearly, professionally but with compassion that he wasn't feeling only days ago. "Unfortunately you know you guys can't stay here. It's bad enough having one fugitive here but," Steve paused. "If you're one too, that makes it even more certain we can't be involved. You understand, right?" 

Thor nodded his head, "Yes." The word was low. He twisted the frayed end of one of the green silk ribbons. It was Loki's color, Frigga had chosen the ribbon first, all of Loki's colors had come from this one ribbon choice.

"Barton and Romanov already know something is going on. It's only a matter of time before they discover more."

Thor nodded again.

Tony moved up next to Thor and slapped a hand on his shoulder. "We're not leaving you with your ass out in the wind." Thor frowned at the choice of words . "I've been working on some things for you. So, when you're ready I can show you."

Steve shifted. "Better sooner than later."

Tony scowled at Steve. "Hey, we don't have to kick them out."

"We're not kicking them out, Tony. But they can't stay, we've talked about this, we're not starting the debate all over again."

Tony crossed and flexed his arms while he allowed his feelings to come through loud and clear. He looked to Thor, his eyes traveled over the gods face, seeing something that maybe the others missed. Something lost. His voice was curious. "What else happened up there?"

Thor was quiet for a moment, his hand slowing then coming to rest on top of Loki's head. His voice finally came out suspiciously void of emotion. "Our Mother knew what was occurring to Loki. If she didn't outright condone it then she accepted that it was in the Realm and Loki's best interest that it occur."

The three men appeared appalled. They exchanged non speaking glances, Tony shook his head. He had no idea how to deal with this type of parental betrayal without saying the wrong thing. Steve couldn't imagine it and was unable to think of anything to say.

Bruce moving around to the opposite side of the bed to face Thor. He even leaned forward to be closer to eye level and his voice gave away he was trying to repress his anger. He grabbed the bedrail that remained upright on that side with agitated hands, "Your moms okay with him being treated like this?" He pried a hand free and jabbed a finger at Loki. "Really okay with it?"

Thor looked up at Bruce who was the only one able to see the dampness gathering in the gods eyes. "She believes that Loki must learn lessons he was not taught well enough as a child. So does our father. They both stated if he learned better, perhaps been taught better, as a child he would now be a better man."

Bruce angerly huffed, "I don't think Asgard is equipped to have taught Loki to be a better man."

Thor narrowed his eyes as he looked at Bruce. "I think I was raised to be a good man."

Bruce nodded. "You are a good man, Thor." His voice was calm. "But for someone like Loki, obviously it didn't work. He needed more and he didn't get it." His eyes were focused on Loki. "Maybe Asgard just isn't prepared to understand someone like Loki."

There was silence from the men, only the sound of Loki's breathing being heard. Thor allowed a giant finger to rub back and forth over Loki's small hand. It was just so small. He wondered if he would ever stop marveling at the size difference.

Tony shrugged. "Well maybe this will be his second chance, at least until we figure everything out." Tony tugged on Thor's shoulder. "Come on, I want to show you something." 

Steve spoke up, "Bruce and I will get Loki ready to move. Disconnect him. Find something for him to wear." Steve ignored the dirty look Tony threw him.

Tony wasn't going to let it drop though. "Don't worry about clothes, I've got that handled." 

"Really?" Bruce's voice was exaggeratedly flat while Steve had a raised eyebrow.

Tony rolled his eyes, "Pepper's nephews are always forgetting something when they stay over. I keep a supply." He looked to Steve, "At least let them leave in the morning. Thor's beat and-"

Thor was setting Loki carefully on the mattress, easing the boys body from his arms with tenderness. "Do not fret, Tony. I would not have the spies finding us here and bringing S.H.I.E.L.D. to your home. I would not have those warriors dying for our nights rest."

No one said anything at the way Thor easily said that he would kill those coming to seize Loki. They all knew it was true and thought it best to not bring up that conflict of interest. Especially since it was only a true conflict for one of them.

Thor didn't look over his shoulder as he followed Tony into the elevator, he simply leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. He felt the metal box begin to drop then continue down. After what seemed longer than the normal time he opened his eyes and looked to Tony. Just as he was about to ask a question the elevator slowed then came to a stop and the doors opened. Thor glanced around as he followed Tony out, he didn't recognize where he was.

"What is this place, Stark?" He saw a number of vehicles but didn't recognize their form nor shape.

Tony grinned. "My garage. My real garage. Where I keep my real cars. Or at least, my babies." He motioned around him at the classic cars stored in the underground facility. "Upgraded with vibranium support columns, the building could fall down and these beauties might be a little dusty but shouldn't have a scratch on them." 

He had a proud expression as he gazed on the vehicles, some were antique hot rods, others were classic cars but all had his hands inside them. Some were finished others were just in their first stages but each had been chosen by him to be blessed to have his hands touch their bodies. He motioned for Thor to walk over to a vehicle that was parked in the middle of the garage floor.

"Beautiful, right?" Tony was grinning like mad as he walked around the gleaming gold vehicle with the red interior.

"What? Ah, yes, very much so." Thor nodded as he smiled and walked around it was well.

Tony stopped and stared at Thor in disappointment, the grin having vanished from his face. "You don't even know what it is, do you?"

"What? Of course I do. It's a, uh, vehicle." He glanced at Tony who folded his arms. "Otherwise known on Mid- uh, earth as a car." Thor looked pleased with himself.

Tony looked less than impressed as he pointed. "This is a nineteen seventy Chevy Impala."

"Oh yes, yes, of course."

There was true sadness in his eyes as Tony shook his head and ignored Thor's insulting ignorance. "Forget it. Look, I just picked it up a couple months ago so I haven't really had time to do much. I changed the oil, all the fluids are topped off, tires rotated, brakes done. All of that." He waved the work away dismissively. "But the important point is that there's nothing computerized in it, not even the radio. Not a single upgrade. Except for what I just finished installing. Which is J.A.R.V.I.S."

Thor frowned. "Isn't he a computer?"

Tony stared at Thor for a long moment as his eyes slowly narrowed. "I'm going to ignore that because I don't think you actually know what you just said. J is not a computer," Tony said the word as insultingly as he could. 

"Thank you, Sir."

"He's a million times beyond that. Which is a good thing considering you don't know how to drive because he will be doing all the driving for you and baby Odinson. All you have to do is sit in the drivers seat and try not to look at anyone."

Tony grabbed the keys from the seat of the vehicle and walked around to the trunk which he opened with the key while Thor intently watched. Tony continued speaking, "The vehicle is yours for as long as you want. It's registered to a dummy account so don't worry about anything, everything is paid up and will continue to be. Since there's no computers neither S.H.I.E.L.D. nor anyone else can trace anything or hack it or do anything at all. So its a clean car. You go through a toll, J will erase all records, same with cameras." Tony looked at Thor. "You should pay the toll." He shrugged. "But if you don't, J will take care of it."

Tony had taken out of the huge trunk a smooth black metal case approximately three by six and a half inches and about four inches in height. He was now motioning for Thor's hand. When Thor reluctantly held it out Tony said, "Press your thumb on the end. Anywhere." Once he had done so the only sign something had happened was that a faint click could be heard and the end of the box could be slid open. Tony tipped the box into his palm and a four inch tall stack of unbelievably crisp one hundred dollar bills came half way out.

Tony looked intently at Thor. "This is your money. Yours. Remember when you had me start to exchange that gold you brought from Asgard? Well this is a down payment on its value."

"I thought you said you could not exchange it?"

"No. I said I couldn't drop that much gold into the world market unless I wanted to send said global market into a crash. And considering I happen to have investments in that world market-" another elegant shrug, "I know a guy, and we've been selling off shavings every few months. This is part of that money." He closed the box, "Thumbprint opens it. Don't lose it. Not that anyone else can open it, another little thing made of vibranium."

Thor took the box gently in his hand. Next Tony reached into a back pocket and pulled something out and held it out to Thor. A black credit card made of metal. Thor reached for it and Tony held it up before holding it back out. "This is for you." Thor reached once more for it and Tony again pulled it away. "I have two very important conditions. Very important." This time when Tony held it out Thor grabbed it and sparks came off his fingertips and Tony jerked his hand back with a glower.

Thor looked down and read it. There was Stark Industries laser etched into it. Thor looked up at Tony with a questioning look. "False Mid- uh, earth money?"

"Listen, it's not false. It's real money. I've explained this to you before." Tony waved his hands dismissively. "Look, two things." He held up a finger and Thor had to grin at how much Tony reminded him of Loki at the moment. "Hey, pay attention here. First off, do not give this card to any one. Understand? Do not give it to anyone? Okay?" Thor nodded and Tony shook his head, "No, what did I say? Repeat it."

Thor dutifully repeated like a school lad. "Do not give it to anyone. And second?"

"Second, do not lose it."

Thor nodded. "Do not lose it."

Tony waved his hand at Thor to get his attention. "Do you know why you don't give it away and you don't lose it? Because anyone can use it. Anyone. And because there is no limit on this, Thor. No limit at all. At. All."

Thor looked at the little piece of metal in his hand then looked up at Stark. "Um, what does that mean? Not having a limit? Why would there be a limit on the amount of money one could spend?"

Tony stared at Thor and realized that despite how much money he might have, he didn't have the amount of money that a prince of Asgard had. He shook his head. "I'm ignoring that. Just use it for large purchases or anything that won't take cash. Otherwise just use cash. Only J.A.R.V.I.S knows about the card, he just made it. And don't tell anyone I just said that, no one knows about that. Alright, only he can track the card or pay the card. I don't have anything to do with it."

Thor reached into his satchel and pulled out the bag that Loki had given him. He now held it out to Stark saying, "For Loki's care."

Tony looked curious as he took it, pulled the draw string open and looked inside. A strangled sound came from him as he spilled the contents into his palm. Jewels of all colors spilled out, some in colors Tony knew weren't natural to earth. Metals in raw and non-natural shapes, crystals of beautiful hues, all in the palm of his hand. 

Opening and closing his mouth he watched the garage lights reflect off some of the metals that he didn't recognize. His thumb reached out and gently traced over one of them, it changed color where he touched it, wrapping gently around his thumb. Tony poured it all back in the pouch and shoved it into Thor's chest. "Take it, here, take it, take it. Take it!" His raised voice was echoing in the garage and Thor grabbed the pouch with confusion.

Watching Tony step away from him, Thor asked, "What is wrong? Tony? Have I offended you somehow? That was not our intent."

Tony was running trembling hands through his hair, the grease making it stand up wildly. It made the burning excitement in his eyes look manically dangerous. Tony pointed at the bag, opened his mouth to speak, swallowed then tried again all while wagging his finger. "Do you know what that is?"

"It is compensation for Loki's care. He would not be in debt to you." Thor looked uncertain.

"No." Tony shook his head. "That's, that's-" he licked his lips while staring at the bag, there was a hunger in his eyes, a desire to know. To understand. To learn. "That's a life time of an obsession. And I don't have a life time left to have another obsession. So, just, keep it. Keep it and-" he waved a hand while looking suddenly tired. His body seemed to slump, the excitement having burned itself out in an instant. "Keep it. Okay?"

Thor slowly nodded while looking thoughtful. "Very well. If you are certain."

"No I'm not certain. But I'm having a rare lucid moment so just go with it." Tony headed towards the elevator. "Come one, lets go get baby Odison."


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two : Annie Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie Finally returns.

Tony had rather abruptly said he needed to take care of something and disappeared on the floor with one of his labs and Thor had taken the opportunity to go to his room and gather more to stuff into his bottomless satchel.

He had grabbed more weapons from Asgard along with his favorite Midgardian clothes. He stood in the room looking around, there wasn't anything overly personal in it. The framed pictures of he and team mates he would leave, they were pleasant but he didn't require them. 

From behind his back he removed Mjolnir from his belt and held her in his hand. Slowly he knelt on the floor and set her down, head first with the handle sticking straight up. He stayed that way for several moments, on one knee, bowing before his hammer. He ran his hand over the handle, it fit perfectly in his hand.

She had come to him when he was young and his heart was full of the desire to go into the Realms and right every wrong he could find. At first Loki had been too young, Sif and the Warriors Three had been his companions. They had fought first by his father's side, small battles, skirmishes and attacks that would wet his desire for battle while assuring victory. Now on bent knee, he wondered what his world would be like if he had of been allowed to lose a few of those early battles. Sipping the taste of defeat rather than always drinking victory. Perhaps he wouldn't have turned into the arrogant, young fool that Loki felt desperate to keep from the throne. Then perhaps none of this would have happened.

Thor shook his head, nothing could be changed. He had to look forward. He was all that Loki had, his Brother was depending on him. He pushed himself to his feet and left her there on the floor as he turned away.

A quiet voice stopped him as he got to his door. "Your Highness?"

Thor felt his mouth twitch upwards, J.A.R.V.I.S. rarely called him by his formal title. "Yes?" He sniffed, refusing to admit there were any tears in his eyes.

"What shall I tell Sir when he asks why you left Mjolnir here?"

Thor stared at the inside of his door, it was a fine and sturdy door. It had to be. He had broken so many that Stark had created this one just for him. The door was nearly indestructible but they had discovered that the door frame and walls were still fragile so he needed to be careful when he opened it. "Tell him her magic is traceable." He wiped at a stubborn eye that refused to stop leaking. "I'll return for her."

"Yes sir."

By the time he stepped out of the elevator Steve and Bruce had Loki disconnected from all the lines. The boy was still sedated but hadn't lost his grip on what they all seemed to be mentally calling his pillow. His fingers were twisted in them, his eyes near slits but he wasn't watching them, just staring at nothing from what little they could see of his green eyes. His eyes slowly blinking.

Thor walked over and looked down at his brother. He was tired of seeing this frail body and even frailer mind. How was he to care for a child? He rarely cared for his own horse and that was an animal that could be let to seek its own food and water if circumstances required. Loki was helpless as a newborn babe.

"How is he?" He pulled his cape up closer to cover Loki's bare shoulder then frowned when toes popped out at the bottom. They were even smaller than his fingers, which Thor realized was appropriate but still, they were tiny. And filthy. Thor pulled the cape down and tucked it under Loki's feet.

Bruce answered him. "He's okay, everything is stable. Where's Tony?"

"He will be here. He had something to attend to first but said he would arrive soon." Thor moved a hand to Loki's spiky hair and let it poke at his palm. "His hair." He glanced at the Captain because that man had worn the shorn hair before. "It will not grow this way, sticking out?"

Bruce and Steve smiled, Steve shaking his head. "No, as it grows out and gets longer it'll go back to laying flat like before. Who cut his hair before?"

"When we were young our mother, now he cuts his own. I have, those, who cut mine." The two men noticed Thor's slight blush and wondered if he had women in Asgard who were fans of his who wouldn't mind having the god's hair as a souvenir. "He had never worn it so long though, as New York. He always kept it neat and short. That length was, unusual for him."

The elevator doors opened and Tony stepped out with some clothes in his hands. Once in the room with him he tossed them on the bed. "For junior. Can't have him showing off his little godly goods."

Bruce and Thor each grabbed an item and held it up, Iron Man pajamas, shirt and pants. Steve rolled his eyes sideways and looked at Tony. "You didn't have anyone else?"

Tony scowled at him, "Why would I? That's just creepy, Rogers." Tony clapped his hands. "Come on, chop chop. Spies are Us are in the gym, probably getting in shape to tattle to McFury." 

There was some awkwardness as everyone waited for Thor to dress Loki but Bruce seemed to be the first to realize that Thor probably had no idea how to dress him. So he gently took the pants from Thor and tossed the PJs over his shoulder. "Grab your cape."

Loki was still nude, no one had dressed him just as no one had made the attempt to bathe him. There were lines of dirt stripes across his body where Strange had cleaned his wounds. Those had healed to various degrees leaving only the worst wounds still bandaged. 

Steve and Tony turned away, desperate to give even a false sense of privacy to Loki while Bruce slipped the soft pants on first. Thor didn't have the Midgardian need to hide ones body and he helped Bruce by lifting Loki as needed. The shirt caught on the collar and it was left to hide it though the bulge was obvious. The PJs were too large and hung on his thin frame, pooling at the elastic at his ankles and wrists.

A pair of fuzzy green Hulk socks were all that were left, Steve picked them up while looking at Tony who gave him a smug smirk. Handing them out to Bruce, Thor intercepted them and reached for Loki's feet. The wounds on his soles were still visible, they had healed over leaving pink new skin that still looked tender and painful. Thor slipped first one sock on then the other, he patted the little feet and felt better now that Loki's body was covered in something as simple as thin Midgardian sleep clothes. As odd as they were, at least they covered his frailness.

"All right." Steve made his voice professional. Calm and clear, making certain everyone knew it was time to move on to the next phase of the operation. "To the roof?"

"No." Tony spoke sharply, as if he remembered he was displeased with Steve. He looked at Thor. "The garage."

Thor said nothing, he just picked up his cape, shook it out then enfolded Loki in it. He picked the boy up and swung him to his chest with his head resting awkwardly on his shoulder. The collar wasn't comfortable. Again Thor was surprised at how weightless his brother was. There should be so much more to him.

Wordlessly they rode the elevator down to the garage, Steve and Bruce following Tony and Thor to the car. The two of them walked around it, taking an appreciative look. Tony opened the back door and Thor saw for the first time that there was a long box like item with rounded corners laying on the large backseat. It was sleek, made of a grey metal its interior was heavily padded.

Thor glanced at Tony who looked pleased with himself.

"I figured tiny god wouldn't always be up for a car seat, which is in the trunk, so I made this. It's basically a bed, with a really nice mattress. Now originally I was thinking of a five point restraint harness and a roll bar but that was before I decided to let J.A.R.V.I.S. drive instead of you."

Thor didn't understand what Stark had said however from the grin on the man's face and the roll of the eyes of the other two men he had to assume that he had been insulted. Before he could do more than frown Stark continued.

"So instead the bed is equipped with netting that's nano tech. Go ahead and lay him down." Tony waved Thor towards the back seat. 

Thor was pleasantly surprised that he could fit into the backseat, most vehicles weren't made to fit the width of his shoulders, and he gently laid Loki down, settling the cloak over him. He watched in fascination as a near invisible web crawled entirely over Loki. Reaching a hand out Thor tried to carefully roll his brother but he couldn't. Where his hand touched the nano's lit up but nothing else happened.

As Thor got out Tony grinned, "Safety first." He shrugged. "For you I got seat belt extenders."

Thor held his hand out and Tony reluctantly shook it. "I will keep in touch."

Tony's face lost any pleasantness and he glanced at Steve with anger. "No, no you can't. You can't contact us, not at all. We can't take the chance of S.H.I.E.L.D. tracking you or finding out you're on earth." Tony motioned to the car. "That's why there's no computer in it."

"Where's he gonna go, Tony?" Bruce was rubbing his hands together, he was anxious and it was showing. Even Steve was looking to Tony for an answer.

"I've got safehouses all over. Some I don't even remember or know about. Part of having an AI that can forge your signature."

"It's not forgery if you give me permission, Sir."

Tony waved J.A.R.V.I.S.'s comment aside, "Yeah, okay. Anyway. He's going to take you to a safehouse, and from there it's up to you to decide what you want to do. How long you want to stay somewhere. If there is an emergency, then J.A.R.V.I.S. would be able to contact me."

Steve asked with narrowed eyes, "How?"

"Carrier pigeon." Steve rolled his eyes while Tony looked insulted. "I'm not telling you Rogers." Tony looked back to Thor, "Don't worry. I'm gonna harass the Wizard of Oz until he agrees to get that collar off Loki."

Thor nodded. "Thank you, Tony."

Tony suddenly nodded and stepped back. He didn't like the seriousness of this goodbye and knew he was about to screw it up if given the chance.

Bruce stepped forward with his hand out, they shook, Thor making sure to be careful with the gentle healer's hand. "Hey, take care of the kid, okay?"

"Of course." Thor would have taken it as an insult if this came from someone in Asgard but he knew it was more of a wish of good luck coming from a Midgardian.

"Oh," Bruce stopped from turning away. "He may have a food aversion." At Thor's frown he explained. "He may be hungry and want to eat but be afraid to. Or just not be able to. You'll have to work with him, find something that he's willing to try."

Thor nodded but felt another stone pile onto his back. This was one more way he would fail Loki. How could he care for his brother if he couldn't even feed him? At least a horse ate if he tossed it food.

Steve came forward, he wouldn't allow Thor to leave without speaking to him. "Thor, I want you to know that this isn't personal. It's not about you or Loki but rather-"

Thor held up his hand. "You do not need to explain. I understand the weight of following rules." He did. He did all too well. And he was going to be crushed for failing to follow those rules. "I thank you for the time given to us. And the care." He stepped back and looked the three men over. "I thank each of you for giving us sanctuary for as long as you have." He looked to Tony. "And for your continued care. I look forward to when this is behind us and we can gather together again without fear." He nodded at them. It was time to take his leave.

Tony came forward and opened the drivers door. "Here you go your majesty, let me get that for you." He waved Thor in and there were a few moments spent trying to explain the seat belt workings. "You know what? Forget it. You're a god, you'll be fine."

Steve sighed and came around to the passenger side and opened the door. "Safety isn't a joke, Tony. Seat belt laws are there for everyone's protection." And in a few short seconds he had Thor buckled in safely while showing how to also release the old school buckle.

Then the car was rumbling in the garage and it was time to go. Tony slapped the top of the car's roof. "Okay J, start Operation Road Trip." The car pulled away and disappeared around the curve in the driveway as the car rose to street level.

Thor glanced back in the little mirror, his three friends disappeared quickly as the vehicle was driven upwards through the lower garage levels. He knew enough to keep his hands and feet from touching anything, however he also knew from previous experiences that the vehicle would continue on its way even if he did accidentally touch something. Once they reached the street level and pulled out into traffic Thor actually felt better, there were more people to get lost in. 

Reaching into the pocket of his pants he pulled out the bracelet that Loki had created for him. Had it been just this morning? Time was different on each of the Realms and traveling back and forth between Mid- earth and Asgard so often had disturbed his sense of time. He wished to rest, to lay before a great fire and eat, drink and hear someone tell soothing stories of glory. They didn't even need to be his stories. Just someone's voice spinning a tale to pull one in and push all other thoughts away. Thor thought of all the times Loki had been the one to tell those tales. He had refused to tell any tales of Thor which had first been a sore point between the brothers but eventually Thor had appreciated Loki's skill more than the subject. His little additions of magical battles to watch along with the tale may have had something to do with it.

Now Thor turned the bracelet over in his fingers. A single band of black metal there was a space to slip his wrist through. A space where two snake heads came to face each other, black sightless eyes, open mouths with fangs showing. It was the time to put it on. It would eventually ease him from Heimdall's sight. Sending what looked like faint images in several directions only to fade away. Thor pressed his wrist into the space that was as wide as his thumb and it moved, the snake heads moving back as if to strike then when they lunged forward they instead had grown long enough to fill the gap and now were wrapped one around the others neck. Thor had let go as soon as the snakes began to move, he knew Loki's tricks. But now he felt the shiver of someone else's magic in his bones and knew, this was begun.

He leaned back against the seat, his attention caught by the scenery going by. The city streets swiftly changing for those of what was considered an easier way to travel longer distances. Thor thought these freeways were not free of others and the highways he had seen were not high at all but still on the ground. For such a large world there were only slow ways of travel.

The scenery sped by and when asked Thor said he would rather not stop but continue on to the destination J.A.R.V.I.S. has chosen. Glancing into the back seat Thor always saw the same thing, Loki sleeping. Finally the days stress made the god's eyes close and he too slept. It was late in the night when Thor was woken by the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. "We have arrived, Your Highness."

Thor looked ahead in the light from the vehicle and saw what he recognized as a small cottage. He was surprised Stark had something so small but it would certainly do. It only took a short time for Loki to be gathered into his arms and carried up the driveway. The air smelled of salt and he could hear the sound of the oceans waves. Thor thought it was a pleasant place as he walked through the door that J.A.R.V.I.S. unlocked as they approached. The boy was still as he lay wrapped in the red cape, laying against Thor's shoulder.

Entering the cottage soft lights came on and Thor set Loki on a couch in the small living room. Making sure there were pillows propping the small form up, he pulled the cape down and found himself staring into those green eyes which blinked slowly then looked around. There was little curiosity in them even though this small home decorated in a sea side motif was far from the clinical place he had last been aware of. Small fingers rubbed at his lips, plucking at the bottom one.

Thor knelt beside his brother and spoke softly, his voice still raspy from sleep. "I am sorry you were not able to say good bye to our friends, however we will see them again. And this is a home of Tony's. He is letting us stay here." Thor saw nothing in Loki's eyes, no recognition to the name, no reaction though the boy did continue to look about. Thor gave a tired sigh and stood. "Let me see what there is to eat and we shall feast, yes?" He pulled all the satchels and pouches from himself and tossed them on the couch.

"The pantry has been stocked, Your Highness."

"Thank you J.A.R.V.I.S." Thor walked the short distance to the kitchen, the lights came on in there as well. "Why are you referring to me by my title? You have not done such before. Or only rarely."

There was the shortest of pauses but for the AI it was as if he had taken a long moment to gather his thoughts. "You have chosen exile with your brother, have you not?"

"Yes." Thor opened a cabinet. There were cans of soup. This he could make if there was also a box of magic. He grabbed a dozen and set them on the counter then opened other cabinets looking for a bowl, one large one would do.

"Then I do it out of respect for what you have given up." 

The AI spoke simply but Thor froze in place. The concept was anything but simple. Thor had most likely given up any future he held of being the next king of Asgard and the Nine Realms. He didn't know who his father would appoint in his place. By choosing Loki over duty Thor may have set civil war in motion. He closed his eyes as if to block out the thought. When he opened them he went back to making soup. "Thank you, J.A.R.V.I.S."

"You are welcome."

He had pulled the tops from all the cans and poured them in the large baking bowl, then set it in the magic box which J.A.R.V.I.S. had turned on. Thor watched it spin around until there was a chime then shook himself awake and grabbed a serving spoon. He joined Loki on the couch.

"Look here, Brother. Many good soups, all in one bowl. Chicken and beef, even chowder of clams." Thor stirred it all together then took a spoonful. He nodded his head. "Ah, this is much like cooks stew. You will find it comforting." He took a small amount on the spoon and held it out to Loki who watched the spoon draw closer.

Thor had understood what Banner had said but right now he just wanted Loki to eat. He saw when the spoon had reached a point Loki was uncomfortable with, he saw the eyes widen, he saw the lips press tightly together. Loki swallowed several times then leaned away.

"Please Brother." Thor's voice was pleading softly. "You need to eat." He held the spoon out to Loki again and watched the fear slowly come into his eyes. Thor dropped the spoon into the bowl. For several long moments there was only the sound of the two brothers breathing. They stared at each other. Thor moved himself and the bowl closer, perhaps if the spoon did not have to travel so far.

Stirring the bowl he tried again. Another spoonful gathered, he slowly moved it closer to Loki. The small hands came up to his mouth, the fingers squeezing his lips. His eyes darted up to Thor's. Fear. Small sounds escaping and the hands pushed at his mouth, trying to hold them back.

"Brother, I know you are afraid and you do not wish to eat but you must. You must eat. This fear you have must be overcome. I know no one braver than you, Loki." Thor brought the spoon forward again with one hand while with the other he reached to pull Loki's hand away. Thor felt the resistance. He heard the noises coming from his brother, broken little sounds, scrabbling to escape while Loki was desperately holding them back. Those eyes, tears of terror spilling from his eyes and rolling down his checks.

Loki flinched when Thor got up abruptly and took the bowl into the kitchen where with curt motions he poured the soup into the sink. He turned the water on and let it run, pretending to rinse the sink. Finally he reached into the stream and cupped his hands, leaning over to splash the water on his face. He remained leaning over the sink watching the water going down the drain for several seconds before snapping it off abruptly and turning to face where Loki sat.

He could just see the top of his brothers head, the spikes of his hair sticking up. Thor didn't know what time it was but he knew it was late at night. They needed to sleep, both of them.

He came back to the end of the couch and stood staring over at Loki who was watching him, the terror having changed to tired fear. Thor forced himself to let out a frustrated breath while walking over to him. He gently picked the tense boy up and cradled him in his arms. "No fears Brother. We shall find a way. Tomorrow, yes?"

Walking down a dim hallway Thor found the first door and nudged it open with a booted foot. He saw a bed which was what he had hoped for and walked over. Holding Loki in one arm he pulled the covers back and slid the little body in the bed, pulling the cape around Loki and the covers over the top. He thought Loki looked lost in the large bed, just a small bump, even smaller than he had been in the bed at Stark's.

Walking around to the other side Thor laid himself down without bothering to pull the blankets back or remove his boots. Folding his arms behind his head he stared at the ceiling for a long while, trying to settle his thoughts into some order. His elbows brushed the headboard and his feet hung off the end, he didn't care.

He turned his head and found that even in the dimness he could see that Loki was laying on his side, staring at him. "Go to sleep, Brother." He gave a forced smile. "Remember Mother always says that the morning brings new blessings. But we must first sleep before we can receive them." Thor slightly frowned. "Or she says something of the same sort." Once more forcing himself to smile in the dark Thor spoke quietly. "Close your eyes and sleep, Brother. You're safe."

Loki stared at him, then slowly the eyes blinked shut. However it was another hour before the tiny finger stopped plucking at his lips and his breathing came puffing gently from between them.

When Thor finally opened his eyes in the morning he was sprawled out face down on the bed, arms out. He stretched them over his head while arching his back. Rubbing at his face he took in the room then turned his head while scrambling to sit up.

Loki was looking at him, in the exact same position that he had been laid down in when they had gone to bed. Thor grinned tiredly, "Hello, Brother." His voice was low and raspy. "How about we prepare to break our fast this morn?" Thor tried to not be disappointed at how he still received no reaction from Loki. He told himself that he hadn't spent any time with him, his Brother was still getting to know him again.

Rising from the bed he came around the side of the bed and pulled the covers back. The smell of urine filled his nose and he pulled his head back. His eyes closed as he gathered himself. "ahh, Brother." His voice was full of sorrow. "Forgive me for not thinking of attending to your needs before sleep."

Gently he pulled the cape back from Loki, the boy was still curled in on himself. Leaving him Thor found the bathroom and turned the light on, the cabinets were stocked with cleansing soaps and various drying cloths- towels. A large shower in a corner was just what Thor was hoping for. Going back out to Loki he unhesitatingly scooped the boy into his arms and carried him into the bathroom. Sitting him on the wide counter next to the sink he settled him against the large mirror on the wall.

Carefully he pulled the Iron Man shirt off then the sodden pants, dropping both to the floor in a careless, wet pile. "We shall get you bathed, you will feel so much better once you have the last of the dungeons filth off you." Walking over to the shower Thor turned the water on and adjusted the flow and temperature.

"Come, the water should be acceptable for you." He reached out for Loki while walking towards him. He saw his eyes had grown larger, darting between he and the shower however he didn't stop until he saw Loki's mouth open and heard the first screams as the boy attempted to scoot backwards but only landed in the sink flailing about.

"Nononnononnooooo!"

The sound was piercing and Thor never knew if it was the sound, the word or the small hands held out waving in supplication that actually stopped him. But he knew that he would never, in all his thousands of long years of life, would ever, forget any of them. In combination they stole his breath and stabbed his soul.

Thor swept Loki off the counter, Loki fought him. Pushing, scratching, even biting between the screams that wavered from terror to defiance. The boys chest heaved, his pupils were wide, unseeing as he was frantic in his attempts to escape the unbreakable grasp of Thor's arms. Thor hardly felt the feeble kicks or wildly thrown punched but the noises were staggering blows. The sounds he now made were raw guttural, animalistic growls as Loki fought Thor. Not another sound that could be described as a human word crossed his lips since that wailing first one but he still made it clear he had no intent to allow Thor to bathe him.

Without thought Thor moved into the sitting room, back to the couch where he sat. He held Loki tightly, the boy's movements already slowing, his body burning through energy it couldn't spare. Reaching into his own satchel Thor grasped one of his sleep shirts and pulled it over Loki's head, not caring that it was on backwards.

"Hush, Brother. Hush, you are safe. I have you now." Thor pulled his own feet onto the couch and leaned sideways to create a small, enclosed feeling of space. He tucked Loki up into the shirt and rocked him, all the while speaking softly in Asgardian. Finally he remembered a song their mother sang them as babes and he tried to remember all the words. He hummed when he couldn't.

With Loki's head tucked under his chin he rubbed at the boney little back, trying to enclose Loki within himself. He never knew when his own tears started, just that he found himself wiping at them as his vision blurred. He lay his head on Loki's.

"What am I to do, Brother?" His voice was a lost whisper. "We have slaughtered legions together, always at each others side and yet now I can not even find you." He wiped at his eyes with a calloused palm. "I don't even see my Brother in you. If only you would give me a sign of understanding. Just a look that my Brother lives in you still." 

Thor listened to the sound of Loki's harsh breathing, his small cries that he was once more smothering behind hands pressed against his mouth. He was encased in the shirt, Thor didn't bother trying to put the thin arms through the sleeves, there was no use. The neck opening itself was large enough to slip down the entire thin body.

They sat on the couch for an unknown amount of time. Thor held Loki tightly yet gently. The small body shivered and shuddered as Loki slowly came to a shuddering silence. Occasionally he would gasp in a deeper breath but mainly he sat with his head resting against Thor's chest. Small fingers with missing nails and dirt embedded in what nails were left still pinched at his lips even though Thor held the small hands and rubbed at the back of them. 

When he spoke it was a deep rumble that came out in a tired, toneless voice. "I am not fit to care for you." Thor felt the rapid beating of Loki's heart as he rested one hand on the boys back, it could fit nearly across the whole of it. "I was arrogant to think that I was." Thor looked skyward. "Ah, even now I still learn humility, Father. Though I am sure you would not have me learn it while disobeying you." There was a humorless huff from him as his head dropped down to rest once more on Loki's head. "I will fail you if I continue as such." Thor closed his eyes. "I can not fail you Brother. I will not fail you."

"Son of a blood sucking biscuit eater!" Annie climbed the stairs to her apartment, holding her coat over her head in the worthless belief that she would somehow be drier when she finally got inside. "Damn weatherman. And you were doing so good for the last couple days." 

Her boots were squelching, her pants were chaffing and the girls, well. The girls had been unhappy since this afternoon when the unexpected rain had started. It didn't matter that it was just a steady drizzle, it was still wet and the girls didn't appreciate hanging out in a wet bra.

She huffed out rain from her mouth while she leaned forward so she could shove the key into the lock. She was able to slip inside and close the door behind her without letting rain in. There was a new, large rug in front of the door with a waterproof backing. An old wooden chair right next to the wall sat ready and now she pulled it over so she could sit-down and get her boots off.

"Come on, come on." She pulled her coat off and slung it on the coat tree to dry, the drips would land on the large rug. She didn't bother sitting instead putting her booted foot on the seat and leaning over to unzip the zipper on her new boots. "Come on! Gotta pee, gotta pee." She was trying not to do the dance but she was wet and everything was dripping so it was getting uncomfortable.

"You are not peeing on the rug, come on, yay!" One boot dropped to the floor and she started on the other. Muttering under her breath, she danced. The second boot landed next to the first. "Free at last." She reached inside the back of her shirt, leaning forward as she struggled to unclasp her soaking bra while walking across the large living area. "Speaking of free, come on out girls. Lets get this party started." Once the hooks were undone she sighed as she began walking to her room while preparing to pull her bra from her shirt through her sleeve. "Oh my god that feels so good. Woo hooo. Run, run free-"

The knock at the French doors of her third floor balcony caused a startled yelp to escape from Annie who instantly was grateful that a yelp was all that escaped considering she was on her way to pee. She stood frozen in place, her arms and hands inside her wet shirt, her pants clinging to her uncomfortably. She was dripping once more on her hardwood floors. Which made perfect sense since once more the God of Thunder, Lightening and Drips was standing on her balcony.

Thor waved and smiled slightly, Lady Annie seemed to simply be standing in her apartment looking at him. Oddly her arms were inside of her shirt though he was uncertain of why. He gave another small wave.

"Heyyy there." Annie waved from inside of her shirt which she instantly felt stupid about. "Um, yeah, okay." She slowly pushed her arms back through her sleeves while trying to keep her bra from following them out. She spoke louder as she carefully started stepping towards her bedroom. "I'm just, uh, going to, go-" She pointed towards her room then crossed her arms over her chest. "I'll be right back." She turned and ran across the floor, wet socks offering no grip on the hardwood.

Thor frowned as Lady Annie ran away into her sleeping chambers. He didn't understand everything she had said but he would wait. The smile slid from his face. He had no other choice.

Once the door slammed behind her Annie leaned back against it. "Holy-" Annie struggled for a moment. "Holy shit." She started trying to yank her polo shirt off while heading to the bathroom, she still had to pee. Getting one side of the shirt up enough to clear one arm out was easy enough, her bra fell to the floor, the girls free at last. However the other arm was stuck in the wet, clinging shirt which was stuck on her head, the buttons on the polo still buttoned too high. One hand trying to unbuckle the belt as she walked.

"Good grief, girl. You've been undressing yourself for most of your life! One god at your door and suddenly you can't get your clothes off?" She snorted from inside her shirt as she tried to pull it down with one hand and undo the buttons. "Like that should be the problem." At the least she got her head out enough so she could see where she was going, all while she muttered, "Gutter. Gutter, girl, you're walking in the gutter."

Finally in the bathroom she couldn't get her clinging pants down with one hand no matter how much she wiggled her hips so she reached up and pulled her shirt back down but now it rolled, stopping under her arm pits. "Oh for freaks sake!" She let out a yell of frustration and pulled the collar apart, buttons flew. She yanked the sodden mess off her head and flung it away, standing topless. Yanking her pants down she finally sat and peed.

Pulling off her socks while sitting they went off in different directions, the work pants ended up inside out, left there when she stood. She ended up in her bedroom in only her underwear. Grabbing a pair of sweat pants off the bed where she had left them this morning after having slept in them, she drug them on and grabbed her over sized hoodie off the back of her door.

Taking a deep breath she reached for the doorknob. "Okay. Ready? Yes." She nodded her head. "Yes I am." She let out the deep breath. "You sure? Oh my god, will you shut up and get out there. You just left him out in the rain."

Thor smiled again as he saw Lady Annie exit her sleeping chambers and hurry over to the door. She opened it and stepped back, motioning him to come in.

"I'm sorry for leaving you in the rain! Please, come in, come in." Annie cringed, she felt like June Cleaver.

Thor's smile grew but he didn't enter. Instead he moved to the side of her balcony where she had various outdoor furniture. He picked up Loki, wrapped once more in Thor's red cape and only then did he enter.

Annie closed the door behind Thor, staring at that familiar red cape. She was pretty sure she was breathing because she hadn't yet passed out yet but then again, she wasn't quite sure how long someone could go before they started to get lightheaded from not breathing. She'd have to google that.

Thor faced Annie, a small smile on his face as he saw her expression. It was of anticipation and she looked up to meet his eyes, hers full of hope. Cradling Loki Thor gently pulled the cape down from where it had been protecting him from the weather.

Annie pulled in a quick gasp. The long black hair was gone, all gone, except for a few short inches. But what really made her chest tighten and her eyes get teary was when the little head turned and huge green eyes focused on her. Her throat felt tight for a few seconds and she had to swallow to get it to work correctly.

"Hi there, Loki. I'm Annie."


	23. Sanctuary and Guest Soaps

Annie watched Loki look at her face, he seemed to study her then he turned his face into Thor's chest. Annie looked up into Thor's face and saw he was about to apologize but she shook her head while grinning at him. She kept her voice low, it was filled with awe, "That's amazing, he's awake." She bounced on bare toes then backed up and waved him further into the apartment. "Come on, sit down, you know where."

Thor was relieved Annie didn't seem upset that Loki didn't acknowledge her. "Thank you. And while we are not wet like we were last time, we are rather damp."

Annie waved it off, "Still no problem. If the couch were something more than a great yard sale find I might feel different." She could tell Thor had no idea what she was talking about. "It's not valuable and it'll dry fast."

Thor still sat gingerly, arranging Loki carefully on his lap, keeping the red cape around him tightly. The collar still showing when the cape slipped down, Thor's tunic was too large to hide it. He looked up at Annie who was staring at it, her face thoughtful.

"It's still on him?" Thor just nodded. Annie took in a deep breath. "Let me get us something hot to drink, it'll warm all of us up. Coffee? Tea? Chocolate?" She was walking backwards towards the kitchen.

"Uh, not tea."

Annie smiled, "Coffee or chocolate?"

"Uh, chocolate?" Thor wasn't certain if he had drunk chocolate. He had eaten it, it was wonderful. He had drunk coffee and found that it had to be sweet and made to taste nothing like coffee before he enjoyed it.

"Perfect." Annie grabbed a pan and the milk from the fridge. Three mugs from a cabinet were set on the counter, she used one to pour the milk in to measure out how much to put into the pan. Once it was set on a medium flame she opened three packs of instant chocolate and poured one into each mug. While the milk heated she headed into the guest bathroom and took several towels from a shelf.

Thor watched Annie as she worked in the kitchen, she had a smile on her lips and kept looking over at them. When she did the smile would grow for just a moment, each time it felt as though another enemy fell at his feet. He leaned back, finally feeling his muscles relax. He looked down into Loki's eyes, they were staring at him with almost a considering look.

Annie brought the towels over, "Here." She placed several in Thor's outstretched hand. "You can at least get a little of the damp off, if you want."

Thor nodded in thanks as she walked back into the kitchen. Annie was thinking about the fact that she was serving hot chocolate to two gods. She frowned at the empty hot chocolate packets. They were the cheap, store brand. Not even the ones with the fake, crunchy marshmallows. The milk was hot and she poured it in the three mugs, stirred them then set them on a tray and carried it over where she sat it all on the coffee table. 

"Loki, would you like some chocolate? Lady Annie has made some for you." Thor had turned Loki in his arms so that the boy was facing into the room where he could watch what was happening. Now Thor reached forward to accept the mug that Annie held out to him, making sure to grasp it before she was able to bring it too close to Loki.

"Here you go." Annie watched Loki carefully as his eyes locked on the mug. His expression looking as if he were afraid it was going to be thrown in his face. "It's hot but not too hot to sip."

"Thank you." Thor looked down at the drink, the steam rising and he wondered where to begin in telling Annie of the issue.

Annie watched as well but her eyes were going between Thor's face and Loki's. Thor was clearly struggling to put his thoughts into words while Loki was just mesmerized by the mug that Thor was still holding in his outstretched arm.

"So, what's wrong?" Thor's eyes jumped to her face. "I mean, something's going on since I last saw you, which I want to know, obviously. Because, I'm nosey that way but first, what's happening right now?" With her chin she pointed to Loki.

Thor's eyes dropped to his brother's face, Loki was once more pulling at his bottom lip with the fingers from both hands while still staring at the mug. Thor sighed and leaned forward to set the mug back on the tray. "He refuses to drink. Or eat."

Annie felt a blankness go across her mind for just a moment, like a blank piece of paper crossing her eyes and blocking out everything. "What?" She shook her head slightly. Well that was intelligent, good job, girl. "I mean, what do you mean he won't eat or drink?" She looked at the pale little face which was now looking at the mug on the table. "But, I- what?" She gave up trying to sound intelligent, it obviously wasn't going to happen.

"Banner says he has some fear of it." Thor raised his hand and touched the back of Loki's neck, there was no reaction. With his other hand he pulled his brothers hands from twisting at his lips and held them in his own large hand. They continued to twitch.

Banner. That has to be Bruce Banner. Doctor Bruce Banner. The man who is a genius. Holy Cow, yeah, lets just casually throw his name out in conversation. Because, why of course, Thor is friends with the Avengers and Doctor Bruce Banner is an Avenger. Grrr. Girl, stop thinking and pay attention! "That, makes sense. I guess." Annie frowned. "So he, still hasn't eaten yet?" Her voice was incredulous. "All this time?"

Thor nodded. "He was connected to-" he waved his free hand while his face showed he was trying to think of the word. "Tubes, I believe they are called, that fed Loki's blood." Thor brushed through the hair on Loki's head. "However Bruce said it was not enough, that he needed to eat."

There was silence as Thor seemed to be thinking and Annie watched as one of Loki's hands slipped from Thor's, so slowly that the distressed god didn't notice. She watched as the fingers moved in the smallest increments until they were once more at his lips, his pointer finger rubbing over his top lip while his thumb did the same with his lower. His eyes turned and looked at her then blinked with purpose like a cats.

Thor spoke again and Annie jumped at little, she had been so intent in watching Loki. "He is so distressed he screams and fights to escape. He can not be made to understand the need to eat, his fear is so great."

Annie nodded. "That makes sense." 

Thor looked at her in surprise. "It does?"

"Of course." She saw his surprise and met his with her own raised eyebrow. "He was tortured with having his mouth sewn shut. We don't know how long it's been since he ate last. And I'm sure he wasn't fed the best food before that. So," she shrugged. "That'll take some time to come back."

"He doesn't have time. He is too thin. As a god he can survive longer than most however he is coming to the end of that time of grace." Thor closed his eyes as he rested his chin on Loki's head. 

"But he still has time, right?" Annie couldn't help but stare at the little figure who was looking at her, his eyes were hiding so much. She could see how he was forcing everything back, hiding all his emotions, every thought behind a blankness that was his only way of surviving. She knew exactly what he was doing.

Thor's words brought her back. "Yes, he has time."

"Good." Annie smiled at the boy then at Thor. "So tell me what you need."

Thor opened his mouth once, closed it then did it again. Now that he needed to speak he struggled to find the right words. He was not Loki. He wasn't even a diplomat. However he was a man who had lead men into battle, convinced them to give him their very lives. He wasn't an idiot despite what Loki oft said. And battle called for direct words that instantly reached the heart.

"I need your help."

"You have it."

Thor found himself smiling though it wasn't a happy expression but rather one that was rueful. His tired eyes met Annie's. "You should never agree to a bargain before hearing it."

"I know." Annie took another sip of her cooling chocolate. "I also know that I trust you. And I want to help Loki. The last time you were here I told you I would help you and I meant it. So, what do you need?"

"I need sanctuary for my brother. And myself." Thor continued to meet Annie's eyes.

"If that means you need a place to stay, then yes." Annie nodded, she had a spare bedroom that was there for the guests that she never had. It was a little small but the bed was a queen. She glanced at Thor, hmm, he was really long so maybe that wouldn't work. Of course he could sleep on the couch. Or- 

"Lady Annie?" Thor asked again, this time a little more forcefully and was relieved when her eyes lost that far away look of contemplation and focused back on him. "You were gone for a moment. I hope not with regret already?"

Annie shook her head with a quick smile, "of course not. I've got a spare room you're welcome to. If you don't mind you guys sharing?"

"I've shared many a tight quarters with Loki, most of them while on far Realms in the worst of conditions. I shall have to tell the story of our hunting trip to Vanaheim when we were chased by a boar." Thor had been leaning sideways to look into Loki's face but his brother was still staring at Annie. He saw no reaction in the green eyes.

"Sounds like a good story." Annie watched Loki's eyes carefully, they were staring at each other intently.

Thor looked from Loki to Annie, he was taken aback at how they were locked together. She was peering into Loki's eyes in a way that he just couldn't bring himself to do, there was such emptiness in those eyes when he was used to them being filled with such emotion.

Annie saw it, there was so much going on behind the blankness in those eyes. If she stared long enough she saw sparks of emotions in those brilliantly green eyes, gone so quickly she couldn't name the emotion. But they were there. Finally she looked at Thor and gave him an encouraging smile. "How about dinner? We can order pizza."

"That sounds wonderful. I would tell you what has happened while we have been away." Thor reached for his hot chocolate and took a sip. At its taste he grinned. "It is a melted sweet."

Annie laughed as she got up to order pizza, having a god for a room mate was going to be- Holy Crap. She had just agreed to let Thor, Thor-God-Of-Thunder, live in her spare bedroom and sleep on her queen sized mattress which was way too short. Her spare bed room that didn't even have it's own bathroom. He would have to use the guest bathroom, which made sense since he was a guest, but Holy Heck. She didn't even have those cute little guest soaps. Just the normal sized soap.

Thor looked at the back of Annie, she was standing still. Then she slowly turned and looked at him and he wondered at the sudden look of distress on her face. "Lady Annie?"

"You're a god." Her tone was speaking a fact. "I'm offering you my spare room and pizza for dinner. And not the good kind either. Well, not the super cheap pizza, more like in the middle but it's still pizza. You're a Prince." Raising her hands to take in her apartment she added, "This is nothing like you're used to." There was a look of panic growing on her face.

Thor gently shifted his brother to sit on the couch as he himself rose to his feet and walked over to Annie. He stopped several feet away, the expression on his face was understanding. "Lady Annie, I am a Prince. The First Heir to all the Nine Realms." He shook his head. "And a fugitive with no hand held out to me in an offer of shelter except yours. My friends, the Avengers," Thor took a breath, "They offer no aid because they think of my Father and the governments of earth." For a moment he looked away, "I asked the woman that I love. She refused me because of her enmity for Loki." His eyes came back to Annie. "I beg you, do not feel that what you offer us has no value. It is priceless to us."

There was nothing said for a moment then she asked, "Doctor Foster refused?" Annie's face flushed at admitting she knew who Thor's girlfriend was but then everyone knew that Thor and doctor Foster were an item.

He nodded. "She offered me shelter but not my Brother. But without him I do not need shelter."

"Did you tell her what happened to him?" Her eyes glanced at Loki, he was looking her. "Explain that he's harmless? Just a kid?" Annie felt the beginnings of being pissed off at the beautiful doctor.

"I did. When it comes to Loki her emotions are complex. She does not wish to have him near. No matter his form. And I can not blame her."

Annie snorted then tried to look apologetic, after all there was stuff going on that was none of her business. Rather than comment and say something that she was sure she shouldn't, she gave Thor a lopsided smile while sticking to a safer topic. "I guess I better order that pizza."

"Oh." Thor reached into his satchel that was still over his shoulder and pulled out the money box Stark had given him. A moment later he slid it open and pulled out a small amount of the stack. "You must allow me to provide for our stay. Neither Loki nor I would be a burden on you."

"That's okay-" Annie held her hand out and Thor grasped it and pressed the money into it.

"We can not be in debt to you. Neither Loki nor myself can allow it."

Annie looked down at the money in her hand, it was so perfect it almost felt fake. She spread it out between both hands, staring down at the hundred dollar bills. She raised her eyes to look at Thor. "Do you know how much money this is?"

Thor frowned. "Is it not enough?" He started to reach back into the box but stopped when Annie's hand shot out to stop him.

With a huff of disbelief she spoke, "This is thousands of dollars. Thousands." She took a single bill then held the rest back out to him while holding the single one up. "This," She gave it a wave, "is too much to buy pizza." She tried to give it all back to him but he pulled his hands away as he moved over to the couch and pulled Loki into his arms so he could sit again.

"Order the pizza." He grinned. "And Lady Annie? Order the good one."


	24. Pizza and Pigs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has commented on their thoughts about the characters. It actually helps keep me focused. I'd love to hear how you feel about this hunting story. And how Annie dealt with Loki. And how did you feel at the end?

Annie set the pizzas on the coffee table, there were four of them, all extra large since Thor had insisted on spending the whole hundred when she had mentioned the pizza place may not accept or provide change for a hundred dollar bill. She hadn't wanted to say she didn't have money for enough of the good pizza to feed him. She was a horrible hostess.

While Thor was filling his plate with slices from each of the four different pizza's, Annie was in the kitchen with an idea. She carefully dropped some items in a low rimmed plastic bowl then brought it over to the couch where Loki was sitting, propped up between pillows next to Thor. Annie had told Thor to start eating as soon as the pizza had arrived. Now he watched with interest what was happening in front of him.

Loki was comfortably wrapped in the cape which was bunched around his waist. He sat Indian style, his legs crossed and tucked under him. He was still wearing Thor's tunic though it was pulled to one side revealing a bony shoulder and healing scars. From one huge sleeve Loki's hands had appeared and were clasped palm to palm while his fingers were slowly twisting together.

Annie glanced at Loki, all she could see was the top of his head. He kept his head down, appearing subdued though Annie knew he was aware of what was happening around him. He was hyper vigilant actually. Even though his head was down, when no one was watching him his eyes were never still, always aware of the placement and movement of those around him.

She didn't say anything, sliding a couple pieces of pizza onto her plate and sitting sideways so she could see Thor over Loki's head. She set the bowl in her lap then took a bite from her pizza.

"Wow, this is good. It's been too long since I've ordered from these guys. They toss their own crust. Thanks Thor." She gave him a smile.

"You are most welcome." Thor nodded, his eyes went down to the bowl but he didn't say anything. "Sometimes Tony orders pizza as well. It's different though."

Annie nodded, her hand picking up the bowl and casually setting it in Loki's lap on his legs near his hands. There was a high squeak of surprise from Loki but Annie was already speaking over it, "Well of course! You're probably eating authentic New York pizza. This is authentic, kind of close to New York pizza." Over Loki's head she watched Thor's eyes drop to his brother, he was worried about Loki's reaction.

Loki was staring at the bowl, it rested lightly on the cape in the space between his legs, doing nothing more. He had pulled his hands up and back against his stomach and now the fingers of one hand were now rapidly pulling at the skin between the thumb and finger of his other hand. His breathing had increased slightly along with some high pitched warbles that came from his throat but other than that he was still.

Annie spoke casually, leaning just slightly forward, her voice calm and low. "Oh, that's yours, Loki. It belongs to you. No one is going to take it away from you." She heard the increase in the volume of the noise coming from Loki. He raised his hands towards his mouth, his fingers poking through his lips and into his mouth as though to gag himself.

Thor heard Loki's distress and looked at Annie. He didn't recognize what was in the bowl but had to assume the tiny items were food. He reached forward and gently pulled the fingers from Loki's mouth but allowed them to remain near. As he did so his mind raced to think about what could possibly be going through the boys mind. "Tis not a trick, Brother. It is yours." He spoke with certainty. "Tis as Lady Annie spoke. No one will take it. Tis your food, Brother." His words ended on a softer tone, "We would not take it from you. Trust us. Please."

Annie took another, smaller bite of her pizza while trying to casually swipe at her eyes. Damn big, soft guys who aren't afraid to show their emotions. The sounds coming from Loki slowed and his hands lowered. "Those are called Cheerios." Annie frowned slightly. "Well, they're the store version of them. A generic version. Anyway. There are ten in the bowl." Annie counted each out loud, her finger coming down towards the bowl to move slightly as she counted each one. "They taste okay." There was a slight whine from Loki as his fingers pinched each other. "You can eat them if you want. Or you don't have to eat them."

Setting her plate on the coffee table, Annie stood and headed towards the kitchen. "You want a beer, Thor? It's decent, I may not go for the good pizza but I try to get the good beer."

"Yes, please." Thor smiled as he was looking down at Loki. The food was right there. Loki may not be eating it but he also wasn't screaming or struggling to get away from it.

Annie brought three bottles of beer over and handed two of them to Thor. "Sorry, I should have thought of this sooner."

Thor shook his head, "You may have been a little distracted."

Annie sat back down and grabbed her plate. "So tell me about your being chased by a wild pig."

Thor smiled and finished one of the beers. It had the same effect as the water on Asgard, which he did not drink but for Mid- earth, it was an acceptable flavor. "Vanaheim. We went for the summer and stayed with our mother's relatives." Annie saw some of the happiness slip out of Thor's eyes and watched as he reached out to set a careful hand on the back of Loki's neck. He ran a hand over it then withdrew it to grab the last slices from one of the boxes.

Loki raised his head enough to watch this then his head bowed again to look at the bowl in his lap. Annie noticed the boy tilt his head enough to give her a sideway glance, his expression was flat but his eyes stayed focused on hers for a few seconds before he went back to looking at the bowl. She watched his fingers still working at each other. They rubbed and lightly scratched then pinched, over and over.

"Vanaheim?"

Thor nodded. "Home to the Vanir. They are our sister world, though explaining fully would take more time than you would wish to spend. And I would not be the one you would want to learn from." Thor's eyes bounced to Loki and there was a flash of sadness across his face. Loki was the one who knew everything about the Realms.

"Okay, next time." Annie slid her plate to the coffee table, leaning forward enough that she could see Loki's face. He was staring at the fake Cheerios but his eyes darted to hers and she thought she saw a questioning look in them. She spoke casually. "They don't actually taste like anything. I can get you the sweet ones tomorrow. You don't even have to chew them. If you put them in your mouth they just turn to mush. Which is kinda gross but," She shrugged, "it makes them easy to eat." She leaned back then looked up at Thor while resting her arm on the back of her couch and propping her head on her hand. "So. Summer vacation with family on Vanaheim. Swimming and campfires?"

The smile was back on Thor's face. "Actually, yes. Along with much feasting, drinking and wenching." Thor chuckled. "Loki was forgetting a rather embarrassing encounter with a young Lady Lannis so he was working his way through the Vanaheim Ladies-"

Annie was frowning, "Okay, okay, lets not forget we have a little kid here."

Thor frowned and gave a slight motion to Loki with a hand holding a slice of pizza. "He is the one who had the encounters."

Annie pointed down at Loki, "He, this little guy, didn't have any encounters." She gave Thor a pointed look. "So, boar hunting."

Thor looked at Annie then Loki, nodding his head thoughtfully. "You are correct. They are not the same Loki. I know this." He nodded again then shook himself while settling back into the couch. "Vanaheim. A royal hunting party, too many people, too much noise and no prey in sight."

"Boars."

"No, actually we were hunting stags, great beasts, about thrice the size of those found here on Midgard." Thor saw Annie smile and realized that it was because he had said Midgard rather than earth and he felt his checks tint pink. "I need to remember to say earth if I am going to remain hidden on this world." He'd never worried about it before.

Annie snorted then covered her mouth. "Woops, sorry. But if you think someone who looks like you can hide on earth, well, that's not going to happen. I don't care of you say earth or Midgard, no ones going to be paying too much attention to your words anyway."

Thor seemed slightly uncertain what Annie was referring to, she could see it on his face. Now it was her turn to feel her face heat slightly, "You're a god, remember? You look like one too."

"Ah, yes." Now Thor did look a little red. "Yes, well, I will remember that. Perhaps I shall grow a beard." He stroked his chin.

Annie squinted at him while tilting her head, "Hmmm, maybe." She huffed a laugh. "But probably not."

" Vanaheim!" He began again. "Hunting stags while traveling with too many people who were not hunting stags. By mid morning most had fallen back enough that the true hunters were able to pull ahead. We flushed out several of the smaller beasts who were brought down by the rest of the hunters but nothing worthy of our interest. There were seven of us left, all cousins of various degrees, when we decided to turn towards the Barri Woods in hopes of finding a larger beast in the less hunted fields."

"Barri Woods?" Annie took a sip of her beer. 

"Mmm, a magical wood, trees that reach to the clouds with golden leaves." Thor nodded at the memory.

"Are you talking about an enchanted forest?" Annie's eyes were wide, her beer stopped in mid-air. "A real enchanted forest?"

Thor frowned lightly. "Enchanted? No, not enchanted." He shook his head. "Magical, but not enchanted. The two are not the same." Thor explained while looking at Annie kindly. Midgardians could be so simple about such well known subjects. 

Well how am I supposed to know? I got my education from Disney. "Oh. Okay. Go on."

"We did come across several smaller beasts in a small copse outside a farmers field and decided to chase for the simple joy of it. I'm afraid the King paid for more than one field that day as we chased after them without let up. It was as we were nearing the Wood that we came upon the stag. The largest that we had seen, massive in size." Thor leaned forward, his eyes bright and his hands gesturing. "Without slowing we all shifted our direction and were after it. Loki was able to sink an arrow into it, it stumbled and we thought it would go down but it recovered and was off again. Now we could not call off, not with it being wounded. It lead us on, right into Barri Wood. We were able to follow it until the Wood became too dense. At that we dismounted and ran forward on foot."

Annie had been watching Thor tell the story with a rapid heart beat that she hoped he wasn't aware of. I have a god sitting on my garage sale couch, eating pizza while telling me a story about a hunting trip he took on another planet. And his little brother is sitting next to me eating fake Cheerios. Or at least he soon will be.

"You chased deer through the woods on foot? Is that normal for you guys?" Annie didn't think that was normal but what did she know about deer hunting? Other than it was the title of a pretty creepy movie, not much.

Thor nodded, his eyes were alive with the remembered thrill of the hunt. "It is. We left the horses with our youngest riders and followed the blood trail. For hours we would lose the trail, search until we found it then continued on. Until finally our cousin Frey said that we could go no further. In the Woods it was nearly dark and we still needed to return to our horses and then make the hours long ride back to the summer hall." 

Annie saw Thor's eyes drop down to Loki with an expression that was a mix of pride and exasperation. With a gentle hand he reached out and placed it on Loki's small shoulder. Leaning slightly forward he leaned down enough to see Loki's face.

With softly spoken words he asked, "Do you remember what you said?" Thor seemed to be waiting for a reply then spoke again when he received no reaction. "You told Frey that you were not leaving an animal alive with your arrow in it. You did not care if it took all summer to find it." 

Annie's lips twitched up at the words that gave her insight into the young man Loki had been. He had been honorable, a hunter who had a code of ethics. She thought about the man who had attacked New York and wondered about what had happened in the time in-between. How does a guy go from not being willing to leave an animal to suffer to being willing to kill innocents without warning? What happened to him?

Thor sat upright and looked at Annie with a crooked grin. "Of course being Loki's older Brother I could not let him go on an adventure with out me. I told Frey to explain to everyone that we would return in the morning with the buck and to be prepared to feast."

"Pretty confident you two would find it." Annie couldn't help but return Thor's grin, it was infectious and made his blue eyes twinkle even in the few lights of her living room. 

"Oh, there was no doubt we would find it. Loki is a tracker of excellent caliber, he can track the wind across the sea." Again Thor glanced down at Loki and once more there was nothing from his Brother. His grin slipped slightly but he continued the story while looking back up at Annie. "When we could no longer see we knew we would spend the night. We didn't wish to be on the ground so we climbed up into one of the trees and found a spot to sleep in amongst the branches."

"Those have to be some pretty massive trees."

Thor firmly nodded, "Yes, they are. Their tops are among the clouds." He chuckled, "There is another tale of a summer when we tried to climb to the top with the idea to rule the Realm from there." Now he shook his head. "That adventure did not turn out as we thought."

"I'll remind you of it. Now, what happened next?" Annie took a sip of her beer. My life is so boring. This god chases deer's through magic woods on another planet. I get my dinner from the grocery store and hardly even go for walks.

"We huddled together all through the night. Neither of us slept. By the first light breaking through the branches we were back on the ground and Loki had found the blood trail again." Thor looked down at Loki, there was a connection in his eyes of that remembered adventure . "We chased the stag through to the afternoon when Loki ended it's suffering with his dagger."

Annie's eyes dropped down to Loki. She wondered about what kind of man was brave enough to face a giant deer with a dagger to end it's life when he could have done it from a distance with an arrow. The way Thor had said Loki had ended it's suffering made Annie think that Loki had been quick. Again she thought about the man who had attacked Stuttgart and New York and killed people with no hesitation.

Thor was continuing the story. "We butchered the animal there and began the trek back. We were in high spirits, Loki was so pleased to have his trophy and able to bring something to the feast. He would be part of a long list of hunters sung about, the kill was a perfect tale." Thor looked a little wryly at Loki then reached out and put his huge hand on the boys head which wobbled slightly. 

He remained looking down at the bowl, his fingers had retreated back into the sleeve. Even though they were hidden the fabric was moving so he hadn't stopped worrying them.

"Unfortunately we attracted the attention of a gathering of boars. And they began to chase us." Now Thor grinned again. "We fled through those woods as though we were the very deer's we had hunted. Yet no matter how fleet of foot we were, we could not escape them. We finally ended up taking to the trees again. We climbed up as fast as we could with a few of the smaller beasts even trying to follow us. We scrambled high enough to avoid their jaws but they began rooting at the very roots of the tree. It took them no time at all to weaken the tree enough for it to begin to list and we lost our grasp."

"Holy crap." Annie whispered. She had never had anyone tell her a real life story. And this was exciting. She wasn't sure if it would make for exciting reading but it was damn sure exciting to hear it told by the god who had lived it. "Hold on, how can a bunch of pigs uproot giant trees?"

"These are not Midgardian beasts. These are the size of-" Thor thought for a moment. "Perhaps your rhinoceros, or larger. Our cousin Frey rides a boar on occasion."

"Oh." Annie nodded as if she could actually picture Pumbaa big enough to have a person riding him. All she kept seeing was Timone sitting on him. "Okay, go on, this is the good part." She brought her feet up on the couch and rested her chin on her knee.

Thor grinned bigger. "We were able to grasp onto another tree, the boars began uprooting that one as well. We scrambled from branch to branch and then it happened."

"What? What happened?" Annie hated suspense. It made her stomach hurt.

"Tragedy." Thor rubbed at the spiky hair on Loki's head. "The greatest tragedy in our young lives." Thor leaned forward to look up into Loki's face. His voice was low, comforting. "Do you remember it, Brother?"

"What tragedy? What?" Annie thought she was going to be ill. Or have to go poop. One or the other. Her stomach was really starting to roil now.

"Loki lost his grip." 

Annie's breath sucked in. Definitely have to poop.

"And he dropped the stag."

"Wait. What!" Annie sat up so straight her spine stretched. "He dropped the deer? That. That is the tragedy?" Annie stared into Thor's face. He had sat up and now wore a grin that definitely was half smirk at her indignation. "What the-" Annie glanced down at the top of Loki's head. "Heck?" 

"Yes?" Thor couldn't help chuckling. He had told this story several times before to Midgardians and had learned that this part of the tale got the same reaction each time. He had been told why it did even though he still didn't actually understand the why.

"First off, that's not a tragedy. And second, why was he still lugging around a dead deer?" Annie's feeling of incredulousness as her stomach settled.

The grin couldn't come off Thor's face. "Oh but it was a tragedy, Lady Annie. Because you see, it fell. All the way to the ground." One of Thor's eyebrows rose. "Where the boars promptly fell upon it and began to eat it."

Annie stared at him with a face that had fallen into a nearly blank expression. For a long moment she just stared at him. Then she spoke as her eyes narrowed. "Nuh uh. Pigs don't eat meat."

Thor nodded with a giddy grin and raised both eyebrows. Annie half expected him to start giggling, he looked that thrilled with her reaction.

"I'm gonna Google that." Annie got up and went over to her jacket that was still drying and grabbed her phone from the pocket. Standing there she quickly typed in her question. A few seconds later she raised her head and slowly began walking over. She glanced back down at her phone then back up to Thor. "Okay. I owe you an apology. You're right. Pigs eat meat. That's kind of disgusting to know." She came back to the couch to sit down. "That's actually really disgusting now that I think about it more."She sat a little closer to Loki this time. Actually touching him and was pleased there was no reaction to this. "So finish the story."

Thor nodded again while still grinning at the memory of Loki's fury. "While we were in that tree they ate all of Loki's stag. Then they shuffled around while looking up at us. Every time we moved to another tree they followed. They didn't leave until it was dark. We spent another night in a tree, cold, hungry and exhausted. With no stag. By morning when we climbed down our adventure was a misery. All that was left were the antlers and a part of the skull. Which Loki refused to leave behind so we marched back through the Wood with it. Loki put the entire blame for the failure onto me and refused to talk for the entire return trip." Thor again smiled at the memory as he leaned back contentedly with a sigh. "It was a glorious hunt."

Annie finally took a deep breath, wow, what an amazing story. She gave a loose grin to Thor. "That was awesome. You're good at telling stories, you must do it a lot."

Thor nodded. "In Asgard that is how we have passed most evenings. Fine tales to go along with good food and better company." Thor rubbed the back of Loki's neck, moving the boy's whole body as he did. His face lost some of its joy, "I look forward to those days again. When my Brother will once more tell the tales with the sharpest wit." He let out a sigh. This child in front of him refused to speak. There was no wit in him.

Annie saw the change in Thor's emotions and decided it was time to give the god a moment. "You'll get him back." She stood and grabbed the empty beer bottles and headed into the kitchen, carefully tossing them into the recycling. She turned around and was surprised to find Thor behind her, his hands full of empty pizza boxes and their plates. "Thanks. I could have grabbed them though."

Thor shook his head. "I wish to be a part of your home, not a guest you would serve." There was a tired smile on Thor's face.

Well there's a little reality check. How weird is this going to be? "Okay. Then you can smash the pizza boxes and stuff them in the trash." She gave him a grin with a raised eyebrow.

He smiled back. "Yes, I think I can do that."

Annie turned back to the sink and in a few moments had it half filled with hot soapy water where she quickly dropped in the plates. She went back over to the coffee table where the hot chocolate mugs were, Thor had finished Loki's. She picked up the tray and glanced down at Loki, he was still holding the bowl in his lap but there was something slightly different about his hands. She saw that they were holding onto the bowl now, a finger rubbing against the side of it. She smiled to herself but said nothing and headed back to the kitchen.

Thor held up a round, brown sphere with a proud expression. "As you asked."

Annie gawked at the ball of crushed cardboard. It was less than the size of a soccer ball. She glanced up at Thor, "Four pizza boxes?"

"I can make it smaller," he frowned as he looked at it, "however it may catch on fire."

"No, that's fine." Annie gave him a bemused grin, "You would make a great recycler." She nodded with her head, "Score one into the trash unless you want to keep it to toss it around." 

Thor gave it a one handed toss into the kitchen garbage can then came over to lean against the counter next to Annie. As she started to drop in the empty mugs he picked up the sponge and nudged her out of the way. "This I know how to do. Jane made sure of it."

Annie grabbed a drying towel. "So how is he? Really?"

A huge gust of air was heaved out of his chest before he answered. "He is not well. Not well at all. My, friends," there was that hesitation again, "did care for him while I was away. They tended his wounds. But nothing more."

"I noticed he didn't really get cleaned up." Annie dried a plate and put it away.

"No." There was a hesitation to his next words. "He also, well, he has urinated on himself in the night. I have tried to help him but-" Thor stopped washing. His words were quiet. "He has night terrors. And I can not wake him from them for such a long time, in his terror, he can not hold his water."

Annie took in the different way that Thor was speaking but she also instantly understood what he was saying. What the hell is in this kids nightmares that makes him wet himself? That makes him so afraid that he loses such a basic control? Annie understood that deep kind of fear but to feel it over and over? That made her heart hurt.

"Um, don't worry about it. At least not tonight. We can get him cleaned up enough for tonight then a better job tomorrow. We'll figure something out between the two of us." Annie gave Thor a reassuring hand on his shoulder while trying to give him a look that did the same. "As for wetting himself, I can take care of that too. Just give me a minute after we're done here."

They finished the dishes and Annie wiped down the counters. She was bagging up the trash to take out to the dumpsters when she heard Thor's voice, a quiet excitement in it. She looked up at him, he had gone back over to the couch to sit next to Loki, his voice a soft reassuring rumble in the background.

Thor watched Annie walk over with a curious expression, he felt his heart pounding. He was sitting at an angle next to Loki, one arm around his Brother while the other sat in his own lap. Now he motioned for Annie to look while he reached down and pointed to the bowl.

Annie looked down at the fake Cheerios with a curious wonder, then a rush of hope and excitement surged through her. Nine. There were now only nine fake Cheerios in the bowl.


	25. Who needs condoms?

Annie's eyes jumped up to meet Thor's, his had a slight sheen to them and she felt hers starting to tear up as well. Loki's fingers had retreated from the bowl back to sit against his stomach. She could just see them peeking out of one sleeve of the shirt, his fingers were picking at each other. That's when she also noticed that his breathing was close to a pant, as if he were frightened. And she realized that he knew she and Thor had discovered that he had eaten a single ring and now he was waiting. For punishment.

Okay okay okay, do NOT freak the kid out. Don't make a big deal out of it. But Holy Crap! This is a Big Deal. But don't sound like it's one. Just act casual. But not too casual. Be calm. Then- hey, did you just use a Star Wars quote? Yes you did and bonus points for it being Han Solo. Oh My God, can you please just freakin' focus for once?!

Annie took a breath, making sure she was quiet, then spoke with an even voice that she hoped reassured Loki that she was telling him the truth. "Great job trying that cheerio, Loki. I hope you liked it. Remember that the rest are yours too and you can eat them whenever you want." She left it at that, rising from the couch with a nod of her head at Thor. Casual. But not too casual. Boom.

Thor stared down at Loki. He wanted to tell him to eat the rest. To just finish them, it was not that difficult, it was but a mouthful. However he held himself back, if Loki should have been told this surely Lady Annie would have told him? Loki was his to care for. He put a hand on Loki's head, gently rubbing at the prickly short hair. "Eat Brother."

He followed Annie to the guest bedroom where she flipped the light on. The room was furnished with the queen sized bed that was covered in a deep brown bedspread with several matching pillows edged in a burnt orange and a forest green rug covered most of the floor. A tall dresser was against a wall and two chairs were on either side of the sole large window that was covered in orange sheers. Blinds covered the windows. A small night stand was on one side of the bed with a lamp on it.

"Sorry about the color scheme, I was in a fall phase of my life. Actually," Annie studied the room thoughtfully, "it was less a fall phase and more that everything was seventy-five percent off." Annie moved further into the room so Thor could step past her. "Room for your clothes," she motioned to the dresser then opened the closet door. "I'll need to get you some extra hangers, and linens." Annie frowned. 

Thor wondered if he knew where her thoughts had traveled. "I would have you tell me if you have need of more money. I have no wish for my Brother and I to become a burden on you and your home." Annie was about to speak and he held up a hand. When he spoke next his tone was that of a man used to being obeyed, "I want you to purchase what is needed to make our stay comfortable not only for us, but also for you to have us here. Whatever you require to do that, I want it done. The money that I have is meant to be spent, I would trust you to spend it wisely."

Annie tilted her head sideways and looked at Thor. Make their stay comfortable. I can do that. Make myself comfortable? We will have to see about that. "Of course, I can do that. Just let me know what else you need and I can get it for you guys." Annie turned back to look in the direction of Loki. "I can guess some of the things he'll need. Speaking of what he needs-" Annie looked to Thor. "If you want to get him ready for bed I can get something for him to wear overnight so you don't have to worry about any accidents."

"Accidents?" Thor was frowning.

"Uh, him wetting the bed." Annie couldn't help feeling bad for Loki, he had so much to overcome.

"Ah. Yes. Thank you." Thor followed Annie out of the bedroom and while she went towards the small kitchen he went to Loki. The boy was still staring down at the bowl of what Lady Annie had called Cheerios and now Thor knelt on the floor in front of the hunched boy. Looking into the bowl he counted and tried not to be disappointed when there were still nine left. 

"I'll be right back, I'm dumping the trash too." Annie grabbed the bag and headed towards the front door where she pulled her damp jacket on before slipping out the door into the darkness.

Thor looked down at his Brother. The fast little breaths had stopped, hopefully a sign the fear had stopped as well. His hands hadn't returned to the bowl, they still were clasped tightly together against his stomach. Thor carefully reached out and picked up the bowl. "We're going into our bed chambers, I'll bring this with us, yes?" With his other arm he easily scooped Loki up and rose to his feet and walked into their room. He set Loki on the bed then the bowl next to him. "I'm going to get our things."

Outside Annie had gone down the three flights of wooden stairs dragging the trash bag behind her. Outside in the crisp late fall air reality seemed to roar in with the sounds of a small city at night. Dogs barking, cars driving on wet streets, people on sidewalks and from the downtown area a couple blocks over came the sounds of music. The streetlights reflected off the puddles while the leaves twisted in the slight breeze.

Pushing the lid up on the apartment dumpster Annie tossed the bag in and let the lid bang shut. I just ate pizza with a god. And drank beer with him too. And now we're getting ready for bed. Annie snorted. Not together. Geeze, gutter, girl , absolute gutter. She sighed as she walked back towards the converted house. Coming to the bottom apartment she stepped up onto the wide porch and knocked at the decorative metal screen door. While waiting for it to be answered she looked around at the rocking chairs and the fall decorations. 

The porchlight came on and she heard the front door open and a young boys enthusiastic voice cry out happily, "Annie! It's Annie. Look it's Annie!" There was the sound of the metal screen door being unlocked and a moment later it opened and Annie was forced back a step as the young boy slammed into her with a hug.

Annie looked down with a smile at the African American boy squeezing her tightly. "Hey Micah, how are?"

Big golden brown eyes looked up at her from an innocent face full of a wide smile. "Happy!" The boy turned to look at an approaching figure from the dimly lit house, the sound of video games coming from inside along with the sounds of grown men exclaiming. Micah was eight years old but despite how his body aged he would never lose his wide eyed wonder. A birth defect had made sure of that. "Look daddy! It's Annie! Look!" He patted Annie while looking up at his dad.

Annie gave the big man a nod of her head while her smile was much more reserved. "Hey Mike."

The large African American man looked down at Annie, at over six foot five he generally did that to everyone. His expression was neutral when he came to the door and into the faint porch light. After an acknowledging glance he ignored her and looked down at his son who still had an arm around Annie as he was bouncing up and down on his toes in excitement.

"Son, what's the rule about answering the door at night?" The voice was a deep rumble from inside the wide chest. The man looked like he lifted weights as a serious hobby.

"Um," Micah recited perfectly, "I don't open the door at night. Ever." He grinned. "I got it right! I did, huh daddy? I got it right! Don't open the door. Ever."

Even in the dark it was obvious Mike was trying to hold his smile back. "Yeah son, you got the answer right but you still broke the rule. You opened the door."

Micah looked perplexed for a moment as he pondered the impossibility of getting something right and yet getting it wrong too. So he did what he always did, he shrugged and grinned back up at his daddy and said, "Look, daddy! It's Annie!"

Mike shook his head. "What's the rule about calling grown ups by their names?"

Micah looked up at Annie and nearly shouted, "It's Miss Annie!"

Mike finally gave up and let a small smile crack on his face. "You're too much, son. Go tell you're momma that Miss Annie is here to visit." He glanced at Annie, "Even though it's kind of late for visiting."

"Okay! I'm going." Micah ran past his daddy yelling as he ran into the house, "Momma, daddy said Miss Annie is here to visit!" He disappeared into the dimness.

Annie met Mike's eyes, "How have you been, Mike?"

"Fine." He folded his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Thank you for asking. How have you been?"

Annie rolled her eyes. "I've been fine too. Thanks so very much for asking." Holy cow, who would be bigger? Mike or Thor? I bet they're the same size, it's just Thor comes across as such a teddy bear.

"Everything is working upstairs?"

"Yep, just fine."

The two of them just stared at each other until the sound of Micah running back to them was heard. He ran into the back of his daddy, using Mike's legs to bring himself to a sudden stop. "Uhg." He grunted out with a laugh. "I ran into you, daddy. Did I almost knock you over?"

Mike reached down behind himself and picked his son up, swinging him into his arms. "Not yet son, but you will if you keep doing that."

"Then I will."

"Break my hip one day." Mike looked over his shoulder. "Where's your momma?"

"She said to tell you that she's on her way."

At that moment from the dimness the shape of a woman walking closer could be made out and her voice was clear as it rose above the sound of the video game and the men's voices. "Why is it so dark in here? What's going on in my house that you have to have it so dark? Turn on those lights." Someone could be heard saying something and her voice called back, "I don't care if you can see better in the dark. And don't take that tone with me, Marcus. I know where your mother lives."

The woman was African American, she was small compared to her husband, hardly coming up to his shoulder but she spoke firmly to him. "Michael, you didn't invite Annie in?" She came next to him and reached her arm around while stretching all the way on her tip toes to give him a kiss despite Mike leaning down slightly. 

"Sharise, I'm trying to be professional with our tenant." Mike moved out of the door frame when Sharise reached out and pulled Annie inside by the arm.

The woman rolled her golden green eyes. "Yeah, meanwhile you've got the door open letting all the heat out." Sharise flipped a wall light switch on and leaned over to give her son a kiss on the cheek. "Past time for bed, son. Have daddy help you brush your teeth." She gave Mike a smile that was half smirk and the big man rolled his eyes while turning his son upside down as he walked away, causing the boy to erupt into screams and giggles. "Don't get him all wound up." She called after them. "Boys." She muttered lovingly.

The two women gave each other a quick hug as Annie asked, "How's the medical transcription life this week?"

Sharise held up her hands which had black braces on each wrist. "Perfect as always." She wiggled her fingers. "So what brings you down from your nest?"

Annie chuckled. "Well, I've got a, um, friend staying with me and I need -"

Sharise gave a squeal and grabbed Annie's arm while pulling her closer. "A friend? Really?" She grinned, " What's he look like? Do I know him?" She put her hands on her hips and tried to look intimidating despite her petite size. "Where does he work?"

Annie shook her head with an eye roll, "you don't know him." She crossed her fingers behind her back. "Really, I'm sure you'll meet him and then you can have all your questions answered. I just came down to ask for some-"

Sharise didn't relax. "He does have a job? I will not let one of my best friends date a man with no job." She was scowling.

"He has a job. Trust me." Being a Prince of another planet was a job, right? It seemed to at least pay well if that stack of money was any indication. "I just need to ask for-"

"Condoms? You need condoms?" Her voice was a girlish yell.

From further in the house a man's voice yelled out to them, "condoms? Who needs condoms?"

Sharise yelled back, "Mind your own business, Marcus! Nosey old lady!"

Annie now was looking mortified while shaking her head. "No, no, no condoms." She whisper yelled while dragging Sharise further away from the direction the voice came in. "Seriously, he's just a friend. He actually has his little brother with him." Sharise's eyebrow went up while her face took on a distinctly disappointed look. "And the kids been through some serious, trauma. Anyway, he's having nightmares and wets the bed."

Now Sharise's face fell into a sympathetic expression. "Aw, poor kid. How old is he?"

Annie froze. Oh my God, how old was Loki? How could I not have asked and made sure? But does Thor even know? What kind of hostess doesn't even know how old the little kid staying with her is? Actually, that's kind of important as just a basic safety question- 

"Hey Annie? The kid? How old is he?"

"Uh five, I think." Annie picked this age based on Loki's size and his actions. He certainly could be younger but she didn't think he was older. "So I was hoping I could borrow a couple pull ups, I can replace them tomorrow after work."

Sharise nodded, she headed into the back of the house and waved Annie to follow. "Sure, no problem. You need any for the day time?"

Annie thought about it, she had no idea so she shrugged, "I guess a couple won't hurt. I'll replace those too. The night time seems to be the worst." 

They walked past a large open arch way in the old house that allowed Annie to look into a good sized room that had been turned into a game room. There were several large couches, recliners and other chairs throughout that gave good views to the huge TV on the wall. A handful of men of various nationalities sat inside where their attention was riveted to the screen where a video game was playing. 

Several of the men glanced over, a young Asian man doing a double take. "Annie! You the one needing condoms?"

Annie didn't answer, she just shook her head while muttering under her breath.

An African American man looked back over his shoulder. "For shame, girl!"

"Shut up, Marcus." Sharise said as they walked past.

Marcus looked hurt, "How come you're picking on me? You didn't tell Lee to shut up."

Someone's little turtle car crashed and a loud shout went up from the group.

"You all need to get ready to quiet down, Micah's going to bed soon and he doesn't need you all yelling out here." Sharise didn't even slow down as she was talking. There were calls of distracted agreement that followed them down the long hallway. "Uh huh." Sharise had clearly heard it before.

Stopping at her son's bedroom she folded her arms and Annie peeked around her to see what she was watching. Mike had already gotten Micah's pajama pants on, light blue cozy flannel with little police cars all over them. He was trying to get the shirt on now but Micah was wanting to do it himself. There was some tugging here and there, some untwisting and turning all the while Micah was making it clear he could do it himself.

Once he finally got the shirt tugged down he tucked it into his pants. Mike tried to tug it out. "You don't have to tuck it in, son."

"But you said I should tuck my shirt in."

"Yes but you don't have to tuck your pajama shirt in." He tried tugging it out again but Micah skipped away.

"But I want it tucked in, daddy. So I look good when I sleep." He came back and fell into his daddy's arms.

Sharise came into the room. "You always look good, son. Just like your daddy." She headed over to a dresser and opened a drawer.

Mike gave her a grin as she passed but then noticed Annie and he frowned. "What's this I heard earlier?"

Annie shook her head, "Your wife was over reacting. I have a friend staying over who needs a place to stay for a short time. He got his little brother out of a bad situation at home and needs a place just until they find one of their own." Annie had no intention of Thor and Loki leaving but figured she didn't need to let her landlord know that.

Mike didn't look pleased. "What guy? Who is he? Have I met him before?"

Sharise handed Annie a stack of pull ups, "Ease up, honey. He's a friend of Annie's, you know she only knows good people."

Mike scowled at his wife. "I don't know that. And if some guy is going to be living around my kid, I want to know who he is." He looked to Annie. "You should have asked before moving some guy in."

Annie stood up squaring off to Mike, her chin coming up. "First off, this was an emergency, he just showed up when I got off work today. Second, he is good people, the best. You'll have no worries about him. Most likely he'll stay in the apartment with his brother and you'll never see him."

Mike shook his head, "Stay in the apartment all day? So this bum has no job? I'm guessing he plans on living off you?" The big man glanced at his wife and even Sharise looked a little uncertain at this new information. 

"You said he had a job." Sharise was frowning again, her hands were back on her hips.

"He does, he's taking time off for his brother." 

Mike looked back at Annie. "Come on girl." His voice was softer. "You've never been stupid. Who is this guy that you would start now?"

Annie wasn't sure if she wanted to burst into laughter or anger. So she decided to split the difference and chuckle with little humor, "If you only knew." She looked at Sherise while raising the pull ups. "Thanks for these. I'll replace them tomorrow. But don't worry, I'll be spending his money to do it." She gave Mike a purposeful look with a raised eyebrow.

She was about to turn to leave when Micah called out. "Miss Annie those are my underwears! You don't fit my underwears!" He ran over and threw his little body against her.

Annie knelt down with a smile. "I know that." She bopped him on the nose and loved his giggle. "I have a little boy staying with me and he needs them. Can I have them? I'll bring you new ones back tomorrow."

Micah seemed to seriously think about this, his little forehead wrinkled in thought. He glanced over his shoulder at his parents then back at Annie. "Okay he can have my underwears. But only if he comes to play with me." He leaned forward to look right into her face while he gave her an angelic smile that was pure blackmail. And judging from the gleam in his eyes, he knew it.

Annie tried really hard not to grin. Well hot damn, the kid was going to go far with that look. She had zero sympathy for Mike. "I'll ask his brother for permission but Loki is really shy. He doesn't talk very much or play."

Micah's face frowned. "Is he a baby?"

Annie shook her head. "No."

"Then why doesn't he talk or play?" Micah just couldn't understand.

"Well-" Annie wanted to explain this in a simple way, She knew Sharise and Mike were clear with Micah on the world not being a perfect place. At the same time, Micah didn't need to know just how imperfect the world could be. Hell, this wasn't even our world. "Someone hurt his feelings and now he's really sad. So he doesn't feel like talking or playing right now."

"Oooh." Micah nodded wisely. "He should tell my daddy who was mean to him. My daddy's a Policeman. He can arrest the bad guy and then he won't be sad no more."

"Anymore." Mike's and Sharise's voices came over quietly.

"Anymore." Micah obediently repeated without looking away from Annie.

Annie swallowed tightly. Damn, little kids had it all figured out. Now if only the grown ups could get their shit together. "You're a really smart kid, did you know that?"

Micah grinned, "Yes, I did know that!" He patted his chest as he pushed it out proudly.

Annie rose to her feet. She gave Mike and Sherise a head nod and turned to start out of the house.

Mike followed her to the front door and spoke when she was going through it. "Hey." His voice was quiet and nothing like it was before. Annie turned around on the porch. "If your friend needs someone to talk to, I can't legally give him advice but I can tell him what the law says. What kind of reports he can file."

Annie nodded. "Thanks." She went down the steps and was about to turn around the side of the house to go up the stairs when Mike called out again.

"Another thing." He waited till she stopped and looked over at him. "If this guy doesn't have custody of his brother, his parents can show up and take the kid back at any time and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it."

Annie nodded then turned to head upstairs to her apartment where once inside she took her jacket off. She saw that both Thor and Loki weren't in the living room so she headed over to what she was now thinking of as their room. The door was open but she still called out softly as she came closer, "Hey Thor?" She got to the doorway and stopped to see the scene in front of her.

Thor sat on the bed, boots off while leaning against the headboard. Loki sat next to him, still bundled in the red cape, tucked under his Brother's large arm. The bowl with the Cheerios sat on Loki's lap but his fingers were resting under his chin. They both were looking at a book, Thor wasn't reading it but was quietly pointing out the picture descriptions. His voice was bright while speaking of the actions on the page.

He noticed the movement at the doorway and looked up with a tired smile. "You were gone a while. I was about to come search for you."

Annie waved him off while coming into the room while holding up the pull ups. "I was just getting something for Loki." She handed two over to Thor. "Underwear for the night." She gave him the other two, "And the day, just in case."

Thor felt the material, his understanding revealed on his face as he felt the thickness. "I see."

"You can get him dressed for bed. Or would you like me to?" Annie wasn't sure how comfortable Thor was. Loki was his brother but then again, men weren't always used to dealing with this type of situation. Oh, and you are, childless woman?

"No, I shall see to him." Thor rose from the bed, setting the book on the nightstand while leaving the spare pull ups on the bed. He grabbed his satchel and pulled out another sleep shirt. He set the bowl aside then tenderly pulled his cape from Loki's body.

Even without the cape around him nothing was revealed of Loki, the tiny body was swallowed up by Thor's shirt. It hung from him as Thor picked him up, long enough to cover down to and over his feet. Annie stepped out of the room and Thor followed then went into the bathroom. He quietly closed the door after them.

Annie straightened up the living room and kitchen, setting cushions in place and wiping down the counters. She replaced the trash bag then found the note pad she used for her grocery list. She was old school and preferred to write her list down rather than have it on her phone. Armed with a pen and the pad she set them on the counter while leaning over them and started thinking. 

Tomorrow was Friday, Monday a holiday so it was a three day weekend which was perfect. Because this was going to take more than a weekend to figure out. Good Grief Charlie Brown, where do I even start? Clothes? Food? Guest soaps. Gotta get new soaps. And towels. New towels. Huge towels because none of my towels will fit around Thor, um, Thor's body. Waist. Stop, nope, not going there. Not at all.

Annie wrote down a list of several items she could think of. Food, absolutely more food especialy more meat for Thor. But as for food for Loki, she needed to think about it and maybe do an online search. He couldn't live on a Cheerio a day. She wrote a question mark behind Loki's name.

She tapped the pad with the pen. Loki would need clothes. PJs and something for the daytime. And both would need personal hygiene products. Annie drew a line through guest soaps. Too tiny for Thor to use anyway. Annie snickered. In Thor's hands he could never wash himself with those- Whoa! Nope. Nope. Back that bus up and don't even bother doing down that route. Beep beep beep. Annie dropped her head into her hands, rubbing at her eyes while laughing under her breath. 

Thor came out of the bathroom with Loki in his arms and they went into the bedroom. 

"Okay, grocery list. Grocery list. You. Are. Making a grocery list." She snorted. "More like failing to make one."

After about fifteen minutes Thor came out, turning the light off behind him but leaving the door open. He came over to stand on the other side of the kitchen counter where he looked at Annie with a soft smile.

His voice was hesitant as he spoke. "Thank you for the, underwear?" Annie nodded. "It will make the difference." Thor's hands sat on the counter, folded together then coming apart only to come back together. His large fingers gripped at each other, twisting and rubbing.

Annie watched for a moment and wondered from which parent Thor and Loki had gotten the habit from. "I made a list of some things I'm going to pick up tomorrow after work." She slid the note pad over to him along with the pen. "Can you think of anything else?"

Thor picked up the pad and read the list over then slowly shook his head. "No. Nothing else." He slid both the pad and pen back. "Thank you again for your help. I know it is a disruption that most Midgardian's would not accept into their lives."

Annie was about to brush off his thanks then realized his words had value. She needed to acknowledge their worth rather than dismiss them. "Some people might not." She gave a small shrug. "Okay, maybe most people wouldn't help but I'd like to think that there are a lot of people like myself that would. Who would do the right thing."

"We are fugitives. The right thing would be to refuse us aid."

"Well I haven't heard anything about you guys being fugitives so how am I supposed to know anything about that?" She gave him a slightly sly grin. "Besides, there's such a thing as the letter of the law and the spirit of the law." She saw Thor's look of questioning curiosity. "You've never heard of it?" He shook his head. "It means that sometimes a person has to decide if they want to follow the letter of the law, the words that are written down or if they will follow the spirit. The part of the law that lets you decide what's more important. To punish the person or to solve the reason the person was forced to break the law. Because sometimes people don't want to break the law but they are forced to. And maybe they shouldn't be punished the same."

Thor shook his head. "That's not justice."

"The example that's always used is if a parent is caught stealing bread to feed their starving child. Would you arrest them or would you help them not to need to steal anymore?"

"Arrest them." Thor's voice was firm and confident as only a well-fed Prince's could be. "Tis the parent's responsibility to provide for their children's sustenance."

Well what the hell? That just blew up in my face into a huge philosophical discussion. That's what you get for discussing Western values with a god from another world. Annie gave a lopsided smile. "Well okay then. That would be a difference in our belief system. Yes, stealing is wrong, but how can a parent let their child starve? Figure out how to help the parent so that they don't need to steal to feed their child. Why are they stealing? Do they need a job? A better paying job? Maybe have the parent work to pay the price of the bread back, that would still satisfy justice." Annie made herself stop talking, this was a subject she could talk for a long time about, it was important to her.

Thor frowned and crossed his arms while his eyes looked down at the counter top. Finally he raised only his eyes and said, "You have given me something to think about, this idea of the spirit of the law and the letter of it. Considering that Loki and I are both breaking at least several laws of our Realm." He rubbed at his eyes. "I would wish to tell you all of our journey however it is getting late and I would like to be with Loki as he falls asleep."

Annie nodded, "Of course. I've still got some things to do to get ready for work tomorrow." Like my shirt with no buttons and a wet pair of inside out work pants, all tossed somewhere in my bathroom. "Can I say good night to Loki?"

"Yes, I think he would like that."

Annie followed Thor into their room and saw Loki was under the covers on the far side of the bed. He was facing the door, his head resting on the pillow and she could see him watching them as they walked in. The covers were at his waist but Thor's cape was around him, pulled up to cover the collar around his neck. Loki had his kudde under the cape, his fingers twisting in the green ribbons as he breathed in its soothing scent.

"Hey there. Everything all cozy?" She didn't expect any reaction so she wasn't disappointed. She smiled slightly when she saw the little bowl with the nine Cheerios in it sitting in the space below the pillow. Walking closer to the bed she spoke softly, "I'm here to say goodnight. I hope you sleep well." Something appeared to quickly shift through his eyes but it could have been a trick of the faint lighting. "I have to go to work tomorrow but I'll see you afterwards if I don't see you in the morning. And I'll bring you more Cheerios. The real ones." Annie pointed to the bowl, he could reach it by slipping his hands from out of the cape.

Annie moved to walk out of the room. "Goodnight Thor. Same thing, if I don't see you before work I'll see you afterwards."

"Of course, Lady Annie. Good eve to you." The door softly shut with a click.

Annie walked into her room and closed her own door then leaned against it. She closed her eyes then finally breathed out, "What. The. Fuuuuuuuuuuck."


	26. Nightmare

Once he had closed the door, Thor laid down on the bed with his head on a pillow near Loki so he could quietly speak with him. Or at him. Laying on his side he held one of Loki's so very small hands in his to stop the fingers from pulling at the dry lips.

"Do you remember the tale I told Annie? Of the hunt on Vanaheim?" He stared into Loki's eyes while his fingers ran over the rough nails and nailbeds. He gave a gentle tug and made his voice just slightly more firmer. "Do you? Remember our hunt?" Now he spoke commanding. "Loki, answer me."

The eyes widened slightly, the green eyes moved back and forth as they studied Thor's face then ever so slowly Loki shook his head. Loki's lips parted as he took in several faster breaths, as though he had done something wrong and was waiting for Thor to punish him.

Punishment was the last thing on Thor's mind. He felt the joy of relief that Loki had finally shown that he understood him and made an answer. His brother was still there, still inside this tiny body. And yet Loki hadn't remembered the hunt. So what would he remember? Thor frowned slightly in thought then cleared his face when he saw the expression of fear begin to grow. Thor assumed that Loki was worried Thor was upset with him for some reason.

"I'm not angry with you, Brother. Perhaps your mind is too young. Let us test that. I will think of a memory we can share, yes?" Thor looked to the ceiling as he thought that far back, he would have been only a few years older than Loki appeared now, both would still be in the nursery which Thor would have been chaffing at. His eyes lit up.

"Do you remember when we were hiding from Nurse in the linen closet and we climbed to the very top?" There was a hopeful note in his voice. "Loki?" Thor felt growing exasperation. "Loki. Answer me." His voice came out expectant. "Yes or no." There was a despondency growing in Thor that he needed to defeat, he hated this near unknown feeling. "Answer. Me." The voice gave an order.

Loki's eyes shifted to the side for just a moment then he looked back at Thor, it was clear he was thinking. Slowly he nodded as his eyes slipped back down. His fingers poked at his palms, twisted and picked at his ragged nails.

Thor felt the deepest relief as a grin broke out on his face. He felt the giddiness of a victory snatched from failure. He leaned forward and spoke with fondness. "Your legs were too short to reach the shelves to climb up so I had to push you as I climbed up below you. And you wanted to stop half way up but I made you keep going to the top. Do you remember?"

Lifting his head just enough to be able to see Thor, Loki's eyes narrowed and he again nodded. And again he lowered his head, his face once more hidden from Thor's sight. He brought his hands together, grasping and squeezing them hard enough to make his skin pinch and turn white in places.

Thor's lips fought a grin at his remembering of Loki's childish distress. "I know, Brother. When we finally got to the top shelf you were crying and wanting Mother. However by then you couldn't get back down and I refused to leave you." Thor chuckled. "Then no one came looking for us and we were stuck up there for the entire afternoon while everyone was running through the Palace and grounds searching for us. Mother was on Vanaheim so when Father was finally told he sent a locating spell out to find us." Thor looked again to Loki. "Do you remember?" 

Loki nodded his head, this time not so hesitantly. He didn't raise his head, just looking down towards his hands that were tightly bound together. His fingers roughly scratched at each other.

"He was furious we had wasted everyone's time." Thor sighed. "I hated spending the next day scrubbing that closet. The task was only bearable because you were there with me."

Green eyes lifted to gaze at Thor, moving across his face, studying him. For the first time there was a gleam of the familiar intelligence that Thor was used to seeing in his brothers eyes. Excited, Thor turned his thoughts again to when he was young and tried to remember something else. He frowned, even though it was close to fifteen-hundred years ago, he shouldn't have such a struggle to recall memories from what he had always thought of as a shared childhood.

"Ah, how about when we stole a tray of summer tarts from the kitchens when Father had the Light Elves visiting?" Thor watched Loki closely. This happened after he had already moved out of the nursery. "Do you remember?" Loki stared at him, then his eyes slid away, his fingers plucked at the cape. Thor put a large hand over Loki's to still it. "Do you remember?" His voice was once more insistent that Loki give him some kind of answer.

Loki's eyes rose and stared into Thor's for just a few seconds before dropping back down. There was a faint nodding of his head. When Thor removed his hand from over Loki's, the boy slowly pulled his hands closer to himself, hiding them inside the oversized tunic.

Thor smiled with hope, Loki was remembering and answering him. Soon he would be speaking and then Strange would get that cursed collar off. Thor chuckled. "I will never forget the sound of your bare feet running down the halls while you had a tart in each hand. By the time you were caught you had jam all over your face, even in your hair." 

Thor watched Loki for a long moment, only seeing the top of his Brother's head he didn't know what expression the boy wore. He reached out and placed a gentle hand on Loki's shoulder. "Brother." There was no reaction, and creeping thought came across Thor's mind, making him uneasy. "Loki." When his Brother didn't look at him Thor reached out and gently raised the boy's chin with a single finger. 

Loki's eyes were the familiar green, but the earlier sign of intelligence has faded. Now Thor saw the eyes held none the well-known snapping wit. The sharpness that he had even as a child of this age. There was a guardedness in this Loki's eyes that had never been in his Loki's. The eyes shifted sideways then back again but didn't meet Thor's.

A feeling of dread settled on Thor's shoulders. Asking in a neutral voice he asked, "Do you remember when Father gave you your first horse? He had to pick you up and set you on it's back because you were so small. And our favorite Uncle Verr gifted you the saddle." Thor studied his Brother's face while looking for something. His Loki would have seen through Thor's ploy before he had finished speaking. "Do you remember this?" Once more his voice made refusing to answer impossible.

Again Loki was still for a moment, green eyes shifting back and forth as they searched blue ones, then he gave a slow nod. Thor released Loki's chin and the boy looked back down, shoulders hunched. Thor wondered how the boy could make himself so still. And small.

Thor closed his eyes while his head tipped back against the headboard as he pulled in a sorrowful breath. His own shoulders dropped and he felt hopelessness fill his mind. Opening his eyes as he looked back down at his Brother then softly said, "Oh, Loki. Father never gave you a horse. And we have no Uncle Verr." Thor felt every bit of optimism drain away, Loki hadn't remembered anything. The boy had only been giving Thor the answers that he so desperately wanted. Thor ignored the whisper that this was the first time that this Loki had lied. Lied without even speaking, Thor's Loki would be so pleased.

Loki raised his head just enough to peer up at Thor, an almost visible worry on his face. A slight widening of his eyes, a miniscule tilt of his head. The pressing together of his lips as he swallowed.

Thor reached out to settle Loki under the covers. "No fear, Brother. I'm not upset with you. Only myself." He gave a sad smile and leaned forward to kiss the top of Loki's head. "Go to sleep, Brother. Tomorrow we shall begin again and this time we have a friend to help us." 

It took several minutes more before Loki's eyes slowly closed and remained shut. Thor waited longer, rolling over and out of the bed. He pulled sleep clothes from his travel bag, deciding that he was finally safe enough to rest. To change into clothes that reflected he was relaxed. It took longer to be certain Loki was asleep, he was about to leave when he saw the bowl with the nine, small piece of food in it. Annie had called them Cheerios. Thor picked the bowl up and sat it close to Loki's face, if he woke Thor wanted to let him see it and know his food was there for him to eat. Quietly he left from the room.

When he returned Loki was still asleep, his breathing even. Thor turned off the lights and sank onto the bed, exhausted. He settled on a pillow with his head near Loki, his feet nearly hanging off the corner of the bed. Staring at the ceiling he listened to the sounds of a small city that came in through the window. He wanted to sleep, desperately, so that he wouldn't be forced to think about what wretched plight he found himself in. But sleep refused to come and bring relief.

Thor's mind taunted him, revealing unfamiliar shortcomings. He could keep Loki physically safe. He could defeat anyone who came to harm him. However he couldn't help Loki while waiting to convince Strange to remove this collar strangling Loki's magic. He had come here to Lady Annie for help however the truth Thor forced himself to think about was that he had come here hoping for much more than her help bathing Loki and getting him eat. Much more. 

Thor rubbed at tired eyes, he didn't need as much sleep as a mortal but it had been weeks since he had slept more than a few hours at a time. Like Loki, he was coming to the end of his ability to function at full capacity. Yet his mind still thought of what he needed to do. And do soon. At last he got up and went to stand in front of the window, pulling the curtain back to see out.

The view was much different than looking out of Stark's Tower. He watched the lights for hours, at first trying to not compare them to the lights in Asgard then finally going ahead and trying to find anything similar. There was nothing the same so he watched the movements outside grow less and less as people ended their eve adventures. His eyes moved as his thoughts now did. Roaming far afield.

What was happening in Asgard? Heimdal would know by now that he had lost sight of him, would he tell Odin or would he wait until Odin asked? Thor had grown up with the Gatekeeper, he had always felt nothing but respect for the god, even when his misadventures had been revealed. Loki had been the one to hold a grudge but Thor never had. And if Odin knew Thor had vanished would he search or would he wait? Thor rubbed at his forehead, too many unknowns.

At last he sat down in the large and comfortable chair and tried to relax. He turned his head to watch over Loki's sleeping form, gradually his eyes closed and he slipped into sleep.

As the hours passed it was Loki who was once more pulled into the twisted and dark dreams that occupied his nights. His eyes moved under his lids as he dreamed, his hands moved, fingers splayed out, wide in worthless defense. His breathing increased. But his lips stayed firmly shut, any noises made were captured behind them. In Loki's nightmare he was back on the filthy floor of his dark cell in the Dungeon on Asgard. 

He was cold and hungry, his body ached while his many cuts burned. Confusion moved like a living beast around the edges of his vision, swimming through the darkness. A whisper poked into his mind, searing angry voices upon his spine. Loki screamed out in anger, standing and making fists while swing wildly in the dark as cold shivers scrapped against his naked body. And in the way of nightmares, he found himself high off the floor, against a damp, filth spattered wall, held up by an unseen hand around his throat. It was high up under his jaw, squeezing while from the dark came the sounds of laughter and jeers. Shadows. Faces of men. Not-men. He kicked out, hitting nothing. He grabbed for the invisible hand and passed through where it should be.

"is the little prince hungry again?" Loki's head slammed against the stone wall. "shall we feed him?" Loki's rage had turned to fear. "not too proud now, are you dark one?" A slap to the face. "let us put that serpent's tongue to better use." He was thrown to the floor. "brats pissed himself."

Thor woke to the sound of Loki gasping, he was out of the chair and onto the bed before he had fully registered what was happening. All he knew was that Loki needed him. Once on the bed he was aware of the feel of Loki's body chillingly wild in it's thrashing on the bed while gutteral sounds of torment escaped. 

Blinking bleary eyes Thor quickly moved to grab his Brothers flailing arms. Loki appeared to be trying to both push and pull at the same time. His eyes were wide open but unseeing, his mouth was opening and closing as he tried to take a breath. His small chest heaved. Gulping in air he choked on it, making him cough and retch. His eyes watered, streaming tears.

The room was where the guards liked to sit and eat their meal brought from the kitchens. The laughter was cruel that echoed in Loki's mind, it filled him. He was once more on the floor on his hands and knees as the guards threw the unwanted pieces of their meal to the floor while shouting.

"fetch little dog." The food was filthy, covered in whatever detritus was on the floor. He didn't know what he shoved into his mouth only that he must swallow it whole because he may not have time to chew it before being slapped or punched. Someone threw something. Loki crawled to where he saw a small piece of bread, trying to scramble and reach it before it was too late but once more he failed. A boot kicked and he silently rolled to a wall where he violently came to a stop. More laughter. "try again little snake." Something wet hit his face, falling to the stone floor and his hands grasped at it frantically. He tried to eat it before he even saw what it was but large hands slapped his face. "once more, brat. try again." Loki tried to crawl back to the piece of bread and when his fingers clasped around it in triumph a booted heel came down on his hand. He screamed.

Thor scooped him up onto his lap and tried to wrap Loki into his arms to calm the boy. Loki's body arched in Thor's hold as if struck by a bolt from Mjolnir. The scream was nearly silent. Wide eyes along with a wide open mouth told of horrors that even in this state his damaged mind still refused to let escape. This knowledge slashed at Thor's heart as if the very heavens had been torn asunder by this silent screams echo's. Grasping the sides of Loki's face, he could nearly engulf the boy's entire head within his massive hands, Thor ignored his own anguish.

"Loki, Loki." His voice was a commanding voice, low and gravelly. "Wake, Brother, wake!" He tried to pull Loki's body close to his chest and felt when at last the boy woke from his night terror. Even in the faint light Thor's watched as Loki's eyes darted around, quickly settling on Thor's face. And yet, though the boy was awake he was still held tight in the grip of the nightmare. His arms pushed out as Thor released him enough for Loki's to fully extend his arms, his back arching away. Thor heard the words, coming out only on the gasps that escaped while a mind still refused to give the words a louder voice.

"Off. Off. Off. Off. Off. Off. Off."

His head violently shaking in denial, Thor squeezed his eyes shut but refused to let Loki go. A feeling of nauseating despair came over him as he understood the meaning of Loki's words. There would be only one reason for his Brother to demand someone to get off of him. Thunder sounded over the house and he forced it to go away, concentrating fiercely on that effort rather than his own tortured thoughts. 

He fought to pull Loki back to him, he didn't know what else to do. He couldn't let him go. He didn't know what to do. Pulled tight to Thor's chest, it took a short period of time for Loki to fully leave the nightmare behind. When he did, his body went slack in the space of a breath, the eyes flat and lifeless. Thor continued to hold him, rocking gently. "You are safe now Brother." His words were whispered but no less an order to be obeyed. "Come back to me." The words were repeated over and over, a chanted prayer to the little god in his arms. "You're safe. Come back."

Loki's eyes blinked slowly and Thor watched as awareness seeped into them. Loki's eyes stared at Thor and in the faint light there was no recognition in them. The lids fluttered several times before they closed, his head pressing hard against Thor. But he was not asleep, his fingers twisted and pulled at his Brother's shirt.

"Rest. I have you and no one will take you from me. Whatever your terror," Thor took a shuddering breath as he allowed tears of anger and sorrow to run down his face. "I will not allow it to happen to you again. Never again." Thor put a hand over Loki's and moved it to set over his heart and pressed it flat. "Do you feel that?" He paused in his speaking to make sure Loki could feel it. Even though the boy's eyes stayed shut Thor went on. "Before my heart stops beating I swear to you I will kill those that did this to you." Thor leaned down to give a fierce kiss to Loki's forehead. "My oath Brother." This. This he knew how to solve.

Though Loki's breath had come as wheezing gasps, soon they settled into stuttering pants as his body reluctantly relaxed. There was the occasional low sound that was a near sob that escaped from behind tightly clenched teeth and firmly pressed lips but for nearly a half hour these were the only sounds from him. Then finally he let out a huge shuddering breath that he appeared to no longer be able to hold back. At nearly the same time he sat up in Thor's arms, trying to catch another breath. Abruptly he appeared to simply be a tired boy who had stayed up much too late and was fighting sleep. Rubbing at his eyes and swaying, he fell back towards his Brothers comforting chest.

Thor felt his own muscles relax and he pulled himself upright against the headboard with relief. As he picked Loki up to better prepare to once again settle him, he felt a weight. He realized that Loki had wet himself but this time the urine had been captured by the strange underwear. At least that was a small task spared them.

"Come Brother, let's get you cleaned and back to bed before you sleep again." Thor's voice was once again soft and comforting. He found the other pull up and carried a listless boy into the bathroom.


	27. Lies and Pancakes

When Annie's phone began it's chirping alarm at 5:45 she rolled over and pulled another pillow over her head. She lay there for several moments until even under the pillow the chirping had become an annoying loud screwdriver poking into her non-sleeping brain.

Friday. Friday. Payday Friday? Maybe. Uhg, too early to think. Why is it so early? Stupid work. Stupid bills. Stupid food. God, I hate that alarm. I know I picked it for exactly that reason but its a horrible way to start the day. I need coffee. And a hot shower. And some- Holy god with a little g!

Annie sat up in bed while looking around as if she would see either Thor or Loki staring at her. She shoved hair out of her face, while scrambling off the bed, dressed in her sweats and a t shirt she stumbled once while kicking the sheet from around her foot. Her phone was on her dresser so that she had to actually get out of bed to turn it off and now she repeatedly pressed the button to turn it off desperately in the hopes that it hadn't woke the two sleeping next door. 

In the silence she listened intently for any noise that would tell her it had. When she didn't hear anything she let out a held breath and lowered her head in relief. You are a terrible host for your not-guests. She staggered into the bathroom to pee and wash up, at least enough to wake up and go make coffee. 

By the time she made it out to the kitchen it was only a few seconds from six am and she moved to the coffee pot on auto pilot. Filling the pot and prepping everything didn't take much brain power which was good because Annie didn't feel like she had much brain powered up at the moment. The night had been late and weird with strange noises plus she kept thinking about all the things that she should do for Thor and Loki. But first, cereal. And toast. And coffee.

Annie grabbed the cereal box from the cabinet and had begun opening it as she turned to set it on the counter when she saw a large lumpy thing on her couch. Even as her brain told her that it was probably Thor sitting on the couch her body reacted by jerking back and sending the cereal and the box flying in multiple directions.

With a hand on her chest Annie's thoughts raced. Holy Shiitake Freakin' Hell! I guess women really do put a hand on their boobs when they're scared. Well bless my stars and good golly miss molly. That better be Thor or I'm in a heap o' trouble. Annie sucked in a breath.

"I am sorry, Lady Annie! It was not my intent to frighten you." Thor's voice came to Annie clearly, he spoke in a normal tone of voice as he stood even though she could see that he was holding Loki in his arms.

Annie raised her hand, in greeting or surrender, she wasn't sure. Her heart was still pounding. "No problem, I just wasn't expecting you guys to be up already." She tried to calm her breathing as she put a hand on the counter and leaned against it. Or sitting in my Livingroom. In the dark.

They came over to the counter where Thor spoke softer while glancing down at Loki. "It was a rather difficult night."

Annie cleared her throat then turned on a light over the dinning area, it was softer on the eyes than the harsh kitchen light. She saw that Thor appeared to have been awake for awhile and when Loki turned his head to look at her she saw tired green eyes. "Nightmare?"

"The worst one yet." Thor gestured with his head at the cereal box that was on the floor. "Again, I am sorry for frightening you."

Annie gave him an early morning before coffee smile. "Forget about it, its only cereal and I'm getting the good stuff today, remember?" She put the box on the counter before getting a broom and dust pan out and quickly sweeping it up then dumping it in the trash. 

As she did so Thor had walked back into their bedroom, now he came out still holding Loki but also the bowl. He looked happy, like a child presenting a parent with a gift. He set the bowl on the counter without a word and looked expectantly at Annie.

She glanced in the bowl, it was empty and her eyes jumped to Thor then Loki. The boy was wrapped in the cape, leaning against Thor. Annie had looked at him in time to see his eyes look at the bowl before looking up to her. There was a subtle shift in his shoulders, a pulling back, closer to Thor as if seeking protection. Annie knew he still didn't believe he wouldn't be punished for eating.

Moving with careful motions Annie opened the cereal box, "I guess you checked that there were none in the bed?"

Thor nodded, "none at all. I even checked twice. Including the covers and even on the floor. I didn't press for an answer." 

There was an odd hitch in Thor's voice and Annie glanced at him as she counted out another ten Cheerios into her hand. "Did something happen last night besides the nightmare?"

Looking down at Loki's head resting against him Thor felt the odd sense of guilt and perhaps even some shame. "I think I pressed him too hard to give me an answer. He didn't speak yet still gave me one he knew I wanted." Thor pulled in a breath and admitted to himself that he did feel shame. "The first lie told in this form and I forced him to it." A look of sorrowfulness came over his face. "That means something to me that I won't ever forget."

Annie studied Thor. Well crap. There's a whole hell of a lot more going on here than I know about. Duh, idiot. Everything going on here is more than you know about. Better start asking questions. But first things first.

"Hey Loki, great job on eating your Cheerios." She brought her hand over to the bowl. "Since you did so well, here are ten more." She counted each one out loud as she dropped them into the bowl, Loki watched each one fall. When she was done his eyes came up to meet hers and she studied them, looking to see what he was thinking. What's he telling me? Does he believe me? Should I repeat that those are his? Should I tell him- What? What should I tell a kid who has made an effort to trust me?

"Thank you for trusting me. For trusting us." Annie used her finger to motion between herself and Thor. "I know it wasn't easy so thank you. We want you to know we won't hurt you. And that's still your food, no ones going to steal it from you. You can eat it all and we'll give you more."

She slid the bowl back towards him and Thor picked it up, Loki's eyes locked on it. Thor turned and took the boy to the couch and settled him on it, carefully tucking several pillows around him to make sure he had something to lean on and not fall over in case he went back to sleep. Once he was sure Loki was comfortable, Thor came back over where Annie was making coffee. She had two mugs out along with a bowl of sugar and several flavors of coffee creamer.

She held up the coffee pot and Thor nodded so she poured. "Fix it how you like it." Grabbing a couple spoons she asked, "Last night? Want to tell me about it?"

Thor shook his head, "I think it would take more time than you have available this morning. Just know the night was, much too long. Once he woke, neither of us went back to sleep." Thor stirred his coffee, looking down at it as if he expected to read answers in the black liquid.

What do I do? These guys need me. I mean really need me. This is their first day here and I can't just leave them alone. I don't even have any food prepared for them. Loki needs a bath. Thor needs a nap. Annie sighed and grabbed her phone from the counter near the coffee machine. Checking the time she saw it was twenty after six, perfect timing. Leaning back against the counter she made a call. The phone answered after the second ring.

"What?" The voice obviously belonged to a young white male and was snappy and annoyed.

Annie rolled her eyes. "Well good morning to you too, Kevin. That's not a very professional way to answer your phone."

"I knew it was you, Annie."

"Still not professional, Kev. You tell me I have to be professional at all times when I'm on the clock." Annie clicked her tongue. "Not a good example for your employee."

"You're not being very professional to your superior, Annie."

"First off, you're not my superior. You're the manager. Second. I'm not on the clock, Kevin. And that's what I'm calling you about." Annie glanced up at Thor who was pouring more coffee into his mug. It was the one Micah had bought her and had a big firework on one side and said #1 dad on the other. He had loved the firework, it appeared when you filled the mug with hot liquid. 

"No." Kevin's voice was flat.

"I'm going to need to take today as a personal day." She was telling rather than asking despite the fact that Kevin was her boss.

"No." His voice was still flat.

Annie's own voice hadn't changed either. "Something has come up and since I've never taken a personal day, I'm going to take one today."

"Still no." There was a slap worthy smugness coming through the phone.

"Five years, Kevin. Not once have I called in and taken an emergency personal day off. So this will be my first." Annie heard him take in a breath and she spoke before he could say anything. "This will be my first time. Kevin."

There was a slight pause then Kevin asked. "Why do you need the day off?" There was a note of a whine in his voice.

"Because something has come up." Annie continued to watch Thor, he was trying the other creamer this time. Mint chocolate. He stirred it, watching the color change.

"What?" Now there was obvious inappropriate curiosity in his tone.

"Something personal. Which is why it's called a personal day." Annie huffed. "I'm not required to tell you why I'm taking the day, just that I am."

"Well I haven't given you the day off. Monday's a holiday. That means you would have a four day weekend. So I don't think I will." He was being a jerk. "Besides, you've got five jobs today. You can't take the day. Denied." There was a smugness in the tone that made Annie's eyes narrow.

"Before I left last night I checked the board and I had no tickets lined up. And now you're telling me not even a half hour after opening I have five?" Annie's voice was determined and pressing.

There was a slight bit of stuttering that came through the phone line then Kevin said, "They must not have gotten posted. I'll speak to Janice about it. But obviously,you've got a busy day."

"Uh huh. And how many jobs do the double d's have?" Annie's voice was unrelenting, she had stood up from leaning against the counter. Thor was watching her with an interested expression as he finished his coffee, looking into the empty mug. Annie came over and pushed the coffee pot over to him, inviting him to the last of it. His eyebrows rose in question, asking to her confirm he could finish it. For that smile he could eat the whole damn coffee can.

Now Kevin was making no effort to hide his stuttering, "Hey, now. That's not professional. You, you can't say that. Just because you're a woman."

"Fine. How many jobs do Dwaine DeLong and Dwight Darson have for today? I bet not five. Probably not even one each."

"Well, I, they, I have to keep them available. For emergencies."

"Kevin, split my jobs between them and when an emergency comes up then one of them can handle it. They don't always have to ride around with each other."

"Why do you have to take the day off?" Now the whine was back in Kevin's voice along with his annoyance.

Annie took a deep breath. She let it out slowly then twisted her lips up into a satisfied smile. "Female reasons, Kevin. Woman parts."

There was dead silence then a strangled voice said, "Fine." The call disconnected.

Annie allowed herself a full smile as she put the phone back on the counter and looked up at Thor. He was looking at her with an expression that was a mix of impressed and concerned. He finished his coffee and set the mug back on the counter with a soft clink while holding her gaze.

"Was that your employer?" Annie nodded. "And did you lie to him to be given this day free from work?" Another nod. Thor frowned slightly in thought and bit the inside of his lip. "Then we have time to drink more coffee? And perhaps make pancakes? Yes?"

Annie grinned. "Yes, yes we do."


	28. Words are Powerful

Annie had a second pot of coffee on and she was really hoping that her box of just add water pancake mix was still good. Please don't have bugs, please don't have bugs. Because I don't know which would be worse, destroying that look of joy of Thor's face at the thought of pancakes or the guilt I would live with if I had to make him pancakes from a mix I had to pick bugs out of. 

Annie opened the zip locked bag of pancake mix and stared intently into it. Nothing moving, no specks in the white powder. All is good. Thank the pancake gods because, hey, who knows anymore, right? Getting out bowls and pans Annie started making breakfast, she figured she might as well use up everything in her fridge, freezer and cabinets because with Thor here, she was going to refill all of them. Every last one.

Thor sat next to Loki, occasionally observing Annie as she easily moved about. He was aware that she was making more than pancakes, he felt a thankfulness stirring inside that he had come across her. The Norns had been watching over he and Loki that day. Perhaps they would survive this, though Thor had no idea what survival would mean. Loki returned to himself? The both of them returned to Asgard? Both to the dungeon for punishment?

Thor shook his head and looked down at his hands which had made tight fists. He wasn't used to being so inactive, especially with all of the tension he was feeling building inside himself. He needed a distraction. Loki had the bowl back on his lap so Thor rose to join Annie in the kitchen and allow the boy the chance to eat in secret if he so desired. Smiling as Annie noticed him he asked, "What can I do?"

"How are you at making pancakes?" Annie held out the spatula. She gave a light laugh at Thor's face, he looked like she'd asked him to defuse a bomb. He raised his hands and was shaking his head when she waved the spatula at him to bring him closer. "Come on, it's not that hard. Scoop, pour and flip."

Thor hesitatingly came around in front of the low edged cast iron skillet Annie had already poured two medium sized pancakes in. He took the spatula reluctantly, "I have never," he waved the spatula around to encompass the kitchen. "Cooked."

"Really? Never? Ever?" Annie gave him a side eyed look of disbelief as she scrambled up a bowl of eggs, the last ten. Adding the last of the milk to stretch them and make them creamy.

"Well, not in a kitchen." Thor stared down at the pancakes. "Outside over a fire, many times." He wanted to poke it but refrained.

"Ah, so you're a grill master. I'll remember that when I want burgers." Annie glanced over at the pancakes. "See those bubbles? That means they're ready to be flipped over." She watched Thor make hesitating thrusts of the spatula as he tried to determine how to flip them and felt sorry for him. Plus I don't like burnt pancakes. Reaching over she took his wrist in her hand and showed him how to flip the pancake. "Takes some practice but pretty much like that."

Flipping the other carefully Thor felt an odd sense of accomplishment though he also felt a blush of ridiculousness. He had led the army of Asgard into battle, he shouldn't feel pride in successfully turning over a Midgardian food without making a fool of himself in front of a mortal. And yet he did.

"A couple seconds more, maybe thirty, then you can put them on the plate with the others." Annie started another skillet for the eggs, laid out the bacon for a turn in the microwave. "So, I guess Princes of Asgard don't have too many chances to cook in the kitchens?"

Thor shook his head firmly, "No, not at all. Our forays into the kitchens were to beg treats or steal them if refused." Thor glanced at Loki who was staring over at them. "Last eve I was telling Loki about a time we had stolen summer tarts that had been specially made for visiting Light Elves. The fruit takes ten years to ripen and there is only one tree in Asgard. A wedding gift to our mother from the very Light Elves who had been invited to partake of it's first fruits." Thor had a far away expression on his face, one of recalling a fond memory to mind. "It was late in the evening, we had been sent to bed already however we had crept out to watch the festivities. We were still in our night clothes. Stealing those tarts was our first real mischief together." One side of his mouth moved up, lips moving into a half smile. "We stole half right out from under the serving staff. We each grabbed what we could and ran." 

Annie stood as though she'd been wedged into place. Even though she had no idea of what Asgard looked like or the place Thor was describing she could somehow see the scene as he told the story. Two giddy boys stealing tarts, and later hearts, as they ran through adults who were startled and astounded. She had to grin as she looked at Loki. The boy was watching them, she could see his eyes smoothly moving between she and Thor, watching them with what she thought was a faint curiosity. Annie could imagine Loki doing it too, following his big brother into trouble.

"The last I saw of Loki was over my shoulder as he turned down one hall and I another. He flew, his bare feet slapping the stones, hair streaming behind him with the fiercest glee in his eyes." Thor huffed out a laugh as he once more looked to Loki. "Stuffing his face with those tarts as he ran." Slowly the good humor slipped from him though as he let his eyes examine Loki. He saw a child sitting there, dull, with none of that mischief in his eyes.

Annie looked to Thor in the quiet, seeing that his mood had changed. He's comparing them. And thinking this Loki isn't as good as the one he knew. Annie cleared her throat while touching Thor's arm for just a moment. "You'll get the happy kid back."

Thor was silent, he just nodded and pointed to the empty skillet. "What is next?" Thor had gotten both pancakes out of the skillet and onto the plate. Now he was looking into the bowl of batter, staring at the measuring cup being used to pour out the batter. His hand was hovering over the bowl, large fingers twitching. 

Annie fished out the measuring cup, filled it, then poured two perfectly round pancakes into the pan. Putting the cup back in the bowl she wiped her fingers on a kitchen towel. Patting Thor's shoulder as she walked past him she chuckled, "Don't worry big guy, you'll have plenty of chances to practice."

Going over to Loki, Annie knelt down next to the couch while she quickly counted the Cheerios in the bowl. Eight. "Good job, kiddo. Now that you know you like Cheerios you can see if you like something else. Thor is making pancakes and I'm making eggs and bacon." She smiled so he could hear it in her voice. "I know its not magic elf tarts but hey, maple syrup is pretty good too." She watched as the tips of little fingers tapped together. "When it's ready I'll make you a small plate and if you want, you can try some. That way we can all eat together. But you don't have to eat at the same time. You can eat whenever you want to." 

There was little movement from Loki, he had his hands around the bowl and several fingers were rubbing against the plastic but other than that he was still. His shoulders were hunched, his head was in its usual position of looking down. 

Annie felt like there were just waves of brokenness coming off of him, and yet she had seen his eyes. She knew she had seen a nearly imperceptible curiosity in them at times. Curiosity didn't come with being broken. Annie tried to gentle her voice as much as she could, thinking of every soft thing she could. "Loki? Will you look at me, kiddo?"

There was no movement from him, even his fingers stilled. For a few seconds it appeared that even his breathing stopped before slowly starting again. His fingers twitched, then went back to rubbing at the sides of the bowl. Annie waited but the little head didn't lift, she didn't get to see the green eyes.

"Okay, you don't have to look at me. Maybe later, yeah?" Annie put another smile in her voice even though this time was harder. "Time to finish getting breakfast ready for us." Annie pushed up from her knees and headed back to the kitchen, trying to keep her face neutral when seeing Thor observing her closely. 

"You could have raised his head yourself." His voice was low though even that was loud enough to carry, Annie was sure Loki heard it. There was a note of exasperation in his voice. "He has always been contrary."

She shook her head while coming around to check Thor's progress. "He deserves to have the choice. Those guards took his choices away from him. We should give as many back as we can."

Thor was staring at Annie, she couldn't decipher his expression. It was obvious he was thinking, emotions were crossing his face, mainly a subtle surprise. He spoke slowly, still finding his words, "you think this is important? Letting him defy you if he choses?"

Well now you've gone and done it, you've made the god ask you a question you're not qualified to answer. You're not a shrink. You took some classes at the local junior college and have some life experience. That does not make you an expert who should be making life decisions about a kid, a god, from another world.

"Yes, yep. I do. When it's little things that aren't dangerous to him, why not? You liked getting to pick your coffee creamer, didn't you?"

Thor opened his mouth to answer then closed it, a look of contemplation settling on his face.

"Same thing." Annie raised an eyebrow at the pancakes in the skillet, giving a head nod towards it, or rather to the single large one. It was obvious it had started out as two but had merged in the middle.

Seeing her face Thor raised his chin, "It is not as easy as you make it appear." He poked at the pancake. "I'm willing to take this one as mine."

Annie snorted, "Yeah, because it's twice as big as the rest of them."

Thor grinned, "well, yes, there is that too." He let his eyes move over Loki before going back to watch for bubbles to appear in the batter. "I do understand your meaning. However when something is important, he should be made to do it. His desires have no relevance when it comes to his recovery. You should remember who he is. He's not a child. Not really." Thor huffed. "Though even I forget at times when I see his fear. Loki has no fear. He is a trickster, God of Lies. But he is not a child."

Annie began making the scrambled eggs, stirring them in the skillet. Okay, don't argue with the god, he knows more about what's going on than you do. But don't let him take his frustration out on Loki, either. "I don't know, Thor. He looks like a kid to me." 

Thor's pancake wobbled as he flipped it and it landed folded over on one side. He stabbed it with the spatula until it was ripped and flattened. "He may be in body, but his mind-" Thor stabbed at the pancake again. "His mind must not be a child's. Not fully. When that collar comes off he must be able to speak." He picked the pancake up and slid it onto the plate with the others then carefully scooped more batter and poured a single large one. He dropped the measuring cup into the bowl and Annie watched it sink into the batter.

"Or what happens?" Annie covered the eggs and turned the heat off. She looked up at Thor who was staring at Thor who was looking at Loki. He was standing stiffly, tense.

"I don't know." He glared down at the pancakes, searching for bubbles as though he were on a military campaign. "Loki is powerful, perhaps even more powerful than our mother since her magic is a woman's, a healing and hearth craft. His is a-" Thor struggled to find the correct word, it was difficult because he didn't understand Loki's magic himself. It was nothing like his own. "He is a Mage and his magic is chaos. Destruction. He needs words to control it. The words must flow in his mind at the very least. Words are powerful." Thor motioned to Loki with the spatula like a knife. "It is Loki's words that give him power. That child has no words. He has no control. Therefore he has no magic."

Annie had moved her eyes to watch Loki. He was listening, she knew he was. His whole body was slumped, his posture defeated. There was slow movement as his head turned so he could look over at them and his eyes met Annie's. They were flat and blank, she watched as he looked back down towards his lap where his hands were folded against his stomach.

Well damn. This conversation has sucked all the pancake goodness out of breakfast. Annie took a deep breath as she mentally and literally shook herself. Nope, not gonna happen. I got the day off and we are going to enjoy bug free pancakes and bacon and eggs and way too much coffee.

"Okay, enough depressing topics before we eat. We are not going to worry about magic or the future right now. Right now its breakfast time and we're going to enjoy it." She pointed to a cabinet behind her. "Theres plates in there if you'll grab them for me. We'll get everything ready, I'll finish the pancakes and we can eat."

Thor held the spatula out to Annie in silence but he didn't let go when she took it in her hand, his face showing his struggle to let go off his negative emotions. Finally he released it as he gave her a quick nod. "You're correct. We should not dwell on what is to come when we have pancakes." His smile was faint but it was there.

"And bacon. Don't forget the bacon."


	29. Sweet Success

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been rewritten several times, with and without the sweet success in it. I'm still not sure if I should have had it happen at this time.  
> Your thoughts on if you think it was the right time would be appreciated.

Annie had everything plated up. A couple pancakes for herself, some of the eggs and a couple pieces of bacon. She told Thor to grab everything else except for one small pancake, a spoonful of egg and a single piece of bacon. These she saved out for Loki and was making a plate for him as she was also keeping an eye on Thor. He had filled his plate and gone to sit with Loki on the couch.

Annie had brought out her tray and now had the small plate on it. The eggs were there and both the bacon and pancake had been cut into tiny bite-sized pieces. Grabbing it along with a bottle of maple syrup she headed over to the couch where Thor was waiting with a smile.

"Ah yes, the syrup!" Thor spoke to Loki. "You'll love it, Brother! It is like the sweetest honey."

Annie picked up the bowl of Cheerios, noticing that there were still eight and set the tray on Loki's lap. There was a slight squeak as he inhaled quickly and drew his hands back. She set the bowl on the tray next to the plate then sat down on the edge of the couch so she could lean down and forward slightly while resting her arms on her legs.

"So this is breakfast." Annie pointed as she spoke. "These are scrambled eggs. This is bacon. And these are pancakes." She opened and poured a little syrup on a few of the pieces. "I'm putting the syrup on a couple so you can try those and see if you like them with syrup or plain."

She handed the bottle to Thor who had his hand outstretched. Thor spoke knowingly, "You will prefer the syrup. It is just the sweetness you like."

Annie raised her eyebrows at the amount of syrup Thor was using and made a mental note to add the industrial size of syrup to her grocery list. "Looks like he's not the only one who likes sweetness."

Thor didn't look the smallest bit embarrassed, forking in a mouthful he nodded. "These are most delicious."

"That's because you helped make them, food always tastes better if you make it yourself." Annie fixed her own pancakes then sat back. She ate while keeping an eye on Loki, she wanted to know if he would be tempted into at least tasting the syrup. She knew the smell alone should be tempting him.

Thor didn't answer more than nodding and making a noise of an agreement, his mouth was full again. When he had swallowed he said, "I will have to agree with you. I always thought that the food we cooked on our hunts was better than that served in the palace. But then it was always eaten at the end of a long day with good company, over a fire while telling stories full of boasts and half truths while drinking too much ale."

Annie watched Thor's face, he was remembering the highlights of his life, the best parts. "So is that the majority of your life? Hunting, drinking and telling stories?"

Thor's eyes glanced at Loki then bounced up to meet Annie's, his smile slipped only slightly but he kept it on his face. "No, not all the days. Right now there is much to be done in the other realms, there has been unrest in the last several years and it has required-" Thor looked down at his plate and pushed his food around. "It has required my attention." He looked up with a smile that seemed more forced, "Prior to that we had more time for hunts and feasts however we had official duties to fill our time. To prepare us for our future roles, I as king and Loki as my advisor."

Thor couldn't help himself. He stretched out his hand and rested it on Loki's shoulder while lowering his head to try to look into his face. "It was not so bad, was it Brother?" He shook him gently before running the hand through the spiky hair a few times. "I could not have been king without you at my side." Thor lowered his hand and picked up his fork. He spoke quietly. "I do not wish to be."

Well hell. Great job, Annie. Another topic that turns into a Debbie Downer. How the heck am I supposed to know what's going to lead to depression and guilt? Think of something else! Something that can't possibly be dangerous. Think think think.

"So what kind of music do you guys listen to?" Annie blurted out.

"Music?" Thor asked with a confused frown.

Oh please don't tell me music is forbidden because of some curse or horrible murder. "Yeah, you have music right? Anything that compares to what we have here on earth? Midgard?" Annie grinned to herself at slipping Midgard into a sentence. Niiice.

Thor seemed to recover his good humor. He set his empty plate on the coffee table and picked up his mug, taking several swallows of the drink he then rested it on his thigh. "We have music. I would compare it to nothing modern that you have here. There are two kinds I usually partake in. That which is sung to while drinking in the company of friends and that which is danced to, rarely in the company of friends."

"Well that sounds-" Annie tried to think of something that wouldn't be insulting. She caught Thor giving her a look with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Yes? It sounds?"

"Ha, it sounds like one is fun and one is something your parents force you to do." 

Thor threw his head back and laughed hard enough to cough. Once he got himself under control and down to chuckles he looked at Loki who had startled enough to stare up at Thor. Now Thor caught his Brother's gaze, "That's exactly what it is, isn't it Brother?" He wiped at his still tearing eyes. "When we were young we both hated dancing lessons. I always said I was going to be a great warrior who would never have time to dance and Loki always said he had no intention of touching any Lady. They laughed too loud and smelled funny." Thor chuckled and Annie found herself joining in.

Loki went back to looking down at his plate. His hands unclasped and rested on the edge of the tray, near the plate. A single finger rubbed at the wooden tray.

"Neither of us had any intention of ever attending any type of dance inside the palace, I would be too busy outside and Loki would be too busy inside, reading in a hidden corner somewhere. But our mother would have none of our excuses. So when I started lessons I demanded that Loki take them with me. He of course agreed since he wanted to do whatever I did." 

Annie saw the way Thor looked down at Loki and she had no doubt that Thor loved his younger brother. The expression alone was one of warm devotion. He gave a wry twist of his lips.

"That changed once he realized what dancing meant. Touching one of mother's Lady's in Waiting which both of us found mortifying in the most extreme. We spent nearly the first lesson refusing to touch Lady Einar which was foolish because she had been chosen because she was only a handful of years older than us. I think that only made it worse, I found my eyes staring at her bosom for years until I finally grew taller than she." 

Annie laughed out loud at this and Thor rolled his eyes. "What about poor Loki?" 

Thor grinned. "He danced with Lady Adis who was old when our Mother came to Asgard as Father's bride. I think Mother thought Loki would think her a kind figure except Lady Adis felt Loki a menace because he played tricks. We were miserable. Mother had to go to Father to threaten us to behave properly at the lessons."

Annie snorted then covered her mouth. "What were you threatened with?"

A small finger touched the syrup, poking into the stickiness. Lifting slowly, then touching down again. Pushing through it, the syrup oozing on to the nail.

"He threatened me with exchanging my time practicing swordplay on the lists with more lessons and Loki with the opposite. More time practicing swordplay rather than reading."

"I'm guessing it worked?" Annie watched as the finger came back towards Loki's stomach, the hand moving so very slow that it seemed he was just folding them again. Except this time the hand continued upwards.

"We will not put our Mother to shame. Despite our earliest efforts, we are accomplished dancers." Thor's eyes watched as Loki's finger disappeared, he could see his Brother's cheeks move as he tasted the sweetness. His Brother swallowed several times as he lowered his hand back into his lap. Thor waited for Loki to do something, to eat, to move, anything. But the boy was still.

Annie met Thor's eyes over Loki, he looked disappointed but she held up a hand to try to tell him to wait. "I'd love to see that."

Now it was Thor's turn to snort a laugh, "I have attended some of the parties that Tony Stark has arranged and while I have enjoyed myself, I have never needed to use my Asgardian dancing skills."

Annie saw the hand move, the fingers reached out and slowly grasped a small piece of the pancake. Once they touched it they just froze and it was several seconds before both Thor and Annie noticed that there was a tremor going through them. Loki dropped the pancake piece and rapidly pulled his hand back, grabbing his other hand in a tight grip, showing white where the flesh pressed together.

Before Annie could say anything or move Thor had slid to his knees on the floor in front of the couch, kneeling before Loki. He didn't touch the boy but he leaned close to observe Loki's reaction to his words. "Brother, I know not everything that happened to you but I-" Thor clenched his eyes shut for a moment before opening them to continue speaking. "I know that you were tormented over food. I know that those creatures refused you food then made you debase yourself for the least of it." Thor studied Loki, there was not a flicker of acknowledgement in his eyes or a twitch in his face. Those strained hands never loosened their grip. "But Loki, look around you. You are not there. You are not on Asgard. You are on Midgard. And they are not here. Only Lady Annie and I are here. And we are not those bastards, we would never treat you thusly."

Annie felt her eyes tearing up and blinked rapidly. What they hell, wipe your eyes, who cares if you get all weepy. You get teary over Hallmark movies and this isn't a movie, this is real life. Annie brushed at her eyes.

"So whatever you fear will happen to you if you eat in front of us, know this. It will not happen." Thor reached out with a gentle hand and raised Loki's head to look over at him while clasping his neck with the other. "Brother, I swear to you. You have nothing to fear. Eat. Please, Loki. I beg you, Brother. Please." Thor leaned forward until his head rested lightly on Loki's shoulder. His one hand carefully came around Loki's back to hold him in a hug.

Well shit. Annie used both hands to wipe her tears, scrubbing her face as she stood. Taking her plate into the kitchen, she scraped the last bites into the trash. She couldn't eat with her throat this tight. Grabbing the dish soap she started filling the huge, old fashioned sink in the kitchen, it was another perk that had sold her on the apartment. A farmhouse sink, it could hold all the dishes she could ever dirty and let her submerge all of them. And if she had to, she could always wash clothes by hand in it. Which had been the real appeal. 

Now she started clearing the dirty dishes, setting them into the hot water as the sink filled with white soapy water. It was meant to keep her busy, distracted. She could hear Thor whispering to Loki, his whispers were loud enough she could almost understand him, she probably could if she tried hard enough. Nope, just leave the big guy alone, he just laid his heart and his soul out there for you to see. He's had a hard enough time this morning. They both have. 

She became aware of Thor coming up behind her, glancing back she saw him swipe at his eyes with his shoulder. He had his dishes in his hands, he didn't have Loki's. She took them from him and slipped them into the hot water.

"Perhaps he will eat when I am not there." Thor picked up the dish sponge and began to wash the first dish. "I do not-" He stopped abruptly then took a breath. "I'm going to kill the man who allowed my Brother's torment." His voice was so certain, as if he were just being polite and letting her in on his future plans.

Well okay then. That's one way to, uh solve a problem. Not exactly legal but then again, maybe it is. Huh, good question. Asgardian Law for a thousand Alec. "Is that legal?"

"Legal?" Thor looked at Annie while raising an eyebrow. His voice came out assertive, "No. Even in Asgard I am not allowed to murder without consequences. And I care not in the slightest. I know who he is and he will die by my hand ere this is over." 

Annie felt the hairs on her arm stand up and realized Thor must be doing something because she also felt some of the hair on her head start to rise. Then she heard a faint roll of thunder. "Hey, easy. You've got your hands in water, I'm not sure my kitchen can handle electricity and water mixing it up in the sink."

He visibly forced himself to relax. "I apologize. The thought of that man, causes me to feel intense anger."

"Ya think?" Annie went to pat his arm then thought better of it. Nope, don't want any shocks from left over static electricity, my hearts beating just fine, thank you very much. "Well, you have a good reason." Annie glanced back at Loki then quietly said with excitement, "Hey, hey look."

Thor turned and felt himself relax slightly. Loki was eating. 

Whatever he was putting in his mouth he did slowly, chewing carefully. His fingers rested on his bottom lip, moving subtly. When he finally swallowed he seemed to pause, his fingers stopping their movement as well, as if waiting for something.

Annie felt herself waiting too. Please don't barf please don't barf. That would be bad for several reasons, so please just keep it down. Oh, I'm so stupid! A couple Cheerios haven't really prepped you for solid food. Oh crap, why did I give you bacon and pancakes? You should have had soup or yogurt or something soft and squishy.

Loki's hand lowered to the plate and he picked up another piece and brought it to his mouth. When he put that in his mouth Thor let out a deep breath and noisy sigh. "Thank the Norns." He spoke under his breath, as if he were afraid Loki would hear him and stop eating. "And thank you, Lady Annie."

Annie felt a sound get squeezed out of her as Thor lifted her feet from the floor as he hugged her tightly to his chest. Holy Crap! Wow, strong. Very. Strong. And big arms. And a very nice chest. And wet hands.

"You are the reason he is eating. Thank you." Thor gave her another rib bending squeeze before setting her carefully back down on the floor.

Well that just happened. Annie pushed her hair back, some had escaped her ponytail. Yeah, that was, wow, well now, huh, wish I had a diary I wrote all the good stuff in because that would certainly fill a page. Okay, more like a line or three but still, I would write it down. "Uh, yeah. What? Um-" Talking? Talking about? What? What. Were. We. Talking about? Idiot. "Actually," Annie nodded. Step away from the god with the nice arms. And nice chest. And did he even smell nice? Stop. Smelling. The nice god. Taking a step back she cleared her throat. "I think you made the difference. You're the one who had all the right words. I just cut the food into little bite size pieces."

Thor kept his amusement off his face. He was well aware of how some Midgardian females reacted to him, he found it endearing and yet he was aware he needed to be careful. No touching of mortals. At least not too much. It was just so hard for him not to be affectionate. In Asgard he never had to hold back his emotions with those that he was around, Sif never had a reaction when he held her close. Thor frowned slightly as a thought streaked across his mind nearly too fast for him to catch it. But he did, though he quickly set it aside for later study.

"Let us agree that we both work well together." Thor went back to washing the dishes. "Now we just have to get him to drink. And to bathe."

Annie huffed out a groan, "No rest for the wicked."

Thor glanced at her with a large frown on his face. "That must be a Midgardian saying that does not mean what it seems to mean because neither of us is wicked."

"Yep, it means we have more work for us to do. I'm going to go get dressed for the day while thinking about how to tackle both of those problems. And don't worry, we'll figure it out."

Thor nodded. "I will finish washing these dishes then await you. I feel together we can solve anything." He gave her a smile that lit his face up, as though Loki eating had washed away all his earlier anxiety and insecurities. 

Anne walked towards her room, then veered off to kneel at Loki's feet next to the couch. The syrup was still on the coffee table and now she picked it up. She saw the piece she had poured it on were gone, the plain ones left behind. The eggs and bacon were there as well. "How about some more on those last few pieces?" Annie held the bottle up as she unscrewed the lid and tilted it but didn't pour.

Loki's eyes moved from the opening of the syrup bottle to Annie's eyes then back again. His fingers were at his mouth, plucking at his bottom lip. Those bright green eyes observed the bottle then moved to the side as if Loki were contemplating what he was going to do next.

Annie felt herself starting to give up. No! It hasn't even been thirty seconds. At least give the kid a minute to make up his mind. He doesn't even know you, you're a stranger. Stranger Danger! Maybe they teach little kids not to talk to strangers in Asgard too. Just wait, this is a big deal. It's worth the time it-

Loki's eyes slipped back to meet Annie's, there was no fear in his eyes but there was a wary look caution in them. He was willing. The smallest nod, the faintest acknowledgement. If she chose to ignore it she could. And if forced to, he could deny making it.

Annie tipped the bottle and they both watched as the syrup slowly covered the pieces of pancake. She reached out a finger and wiped the edge of the bottle then licked the syrup off while they looked at each other. "It tastes good, yeah?" Annie gave Loki a soft smile. Sweet success.


	30. Liar Liar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been ready and waiting for a spot for quite a while now. I felt this was where it needed to go, giving you the reader a chance to take a breath of a different air.  
> Hopefully this answers many of your questions while raising others. If I failed to make something clear please ask me, sometimes I assume you know what's going on just because I do.  
> I'm curious to know your thoughts.  
> DayWriter106

Inside the palace of Asgard there was turmoil brewing and everyone was aware of it. For the past day the guests and members of the Court had taken to gossiping about the cause while discussing every expression and action of the AllFather and AllMother in disturbing detail. The servants were no better, except they made sure to complete their tasks in silence and with absolute perfection lest the AllFather or AllMother's eye turn upon them.

However at this moment it was clear by Frigga's determined march that someone was going to be receiving her attention and from her expression, it was not going to be pleasant. Bodies cleared from her path and each head bowed formally as she passed, the faint noise of the heavy fabrics of her dress the only sound. No soft silks today. Today she wore the heavy weight of a brocade, the tight upper body a corset resembling the armor of her youth. If the dress was a deep red, nearly black, then it only matched her mood. Long before she approached them the guards stood even stiffer, and she ignored every last one of them. Until she came before the doors to the AllFather's personal office. 

The two guards standing to each side dropped their ceremonial lances across the door, barring her way. One spoke, though there was clear respect in his tone, he had his orders. "The AllFather has ordered no one disturb him."

Frigga raised an eyebrow.

Inside the office Odin stood next to his military advisors as they all analyzed the latest dispatches while conferring over the best use of troops. Marauders were being captured and executed daily however there were still pockets of them in farther outlaying areas in some of the Realms. It was even suggested a group may have found a portal to help them slip from one Realm to another. This was unacceptable.

Odin felt aggravated, Thor should be the one standing here dealing with his brothers treachery. With a frown he looked towards the door where he could hear a commotion clearly coming from the hall. He was about to slam the door open to let his anger out on the cause of this disturbance when he didn't need to bother.

The door opened without his desire being made manifest and Frigga swept in, the guards swaying behind her as they moved to follow. Her voice was cutting, "You will ignore me no longer." Her stride brought her more than halfway into the chamber, where she met Odin's eye with a fierce gaze of her own.

"Your Majesty-" One guard spoke, the dismay in failing his King was clear in his voice.

Odin raised his hand to stop the poor man. Despite the fact Odin was facing the one person in all the Realms that he did not want to be facing, he had nothing but sympathy for both the guards. "Tis fine. I doubt the Norns themselves could stop the AllMother when she has taken an idea into her mind." His voice held humor which he felt none of.

Frigga felt her emotions bristle though she didn't let any of it show on her face. Her cheeks were already slightly flushed from the speed of her walk, she looked every inch the Goddess she was. Now her eyes narrowed just the very slightest, "Do not patronize me." 

Every married man in the room shifted slightly. Many were familiar with that tone and found themselves in sympathy with the man who stood next to them. He may be the AllFather of the entire Nine Realms but he was also a husband, and his wife was most unhappy with him.

Frigga's eyes flicked over Asgards greatest military advisors. In the uncomfortably hushed silence she ordered. "Leave us."

The muscles of several of the men actually contracted to obey before they were able to stop the movement. Their instinct to obey that tone nearly making traitors of them all. They answered to none but the AllFather, despite their growing unease and desire to no longer be in the presence of the AllMother.

There was a slight motion of dismissal from the AllFather and the men left with embarrassing speed though each one made a respectful half bow to Frigga as they moved past her. Once the last man cleared the room the guards swung the door shut with a solid thud.

For a moment neither one moved, each one evaluating the other until Frigga ground out, "Bring. My. Boys. Home."

At her words Odin let out a heavy breath and turned back to the table. He shuffled a paper about, sightlessly tucking it under several others. Despite knowing this conversation was inevitable, he still had no desire to hold it and thus he had been avoiding his love. It was not going to be pleasant and he would be feeling it's repercussions for centuries to come.

"Now, Odin." Frigga advanced a step. 

His head snapped up, his blue eye pinning her. "Watch your tone, woman. We both agreed to this course of action and to let this play out to the end." 

"I did not agree to what you have done to Loki." Frigga fought to remain stone-faced. She would not lose any advantage by appearing sentimental, she had to be fierce or Odin would dismiss her concerns. She could not let that happen. She had allowed herself to be dismissed once before and it had been the last time she had seen Loki.

Odin turned to fully face her, his voice hissed out, "You agreed to trust me. To allow me to see to his penalties." He stepped away from the table. "Do not now question my methods."

Frigga shook her head. "You lied to me. For two years you have lied to us all." Her voice accused him, a threatening whip, snapping restlessly. "We agreed he needed a second chance. But not this, never this." She paced around him and he moved to continue to face her. "You truly believed that I would never find out?" Her voice lashed out.

Odin shook his head, a small twitch to one side of his mouth lifting his lips in a jest of a smile. "No. I knew that once Thor took Loki and made him safe that he would return to determine if you had a hand in Loki's suffering." Frigga's eyes widened slightly. "I gifted you ignorance." Odin shrugged with a self satisfied smile. "You can claim betrayal, the same as our sons. They will not hate you." Odin looked down for just a moment then breathed in deeply to look back up at his wife. "Only me."

Scoffing Frigga shook her head. "Do not claim selfless intentions. I do not thank you for your so called gift when it is Loki who has paid it's price." She looked at him with distaste. "I went to the healers. They told me everything you had done to him." Frigga forced her anger to keep boiling otherwise her mother's hurt would weaken her.

Odin raised his brow. "Did they?" He would have to visit them. 

"Do not think to punish them. They are under my protection." Frigga's eyes were grim. "You told them not to speak of Loki because it pained me." She took a step towards him. "They thought I knew!" Frigga allowed her anger to rise in her voice because she was being torn apart by her despair. If not anger then the despair would bleed through. "You ordered them to ruin him. Tear him asunder from both body and mind!" She took several steps at him, her hands held wide open like claws ready to rip into him.

Odin took a step back, but only one. He saw the gold wisps of her magic curling around her hands, the twists of it in her pupils. Norns be damned, the woman was magnificent. And prepared to do something foolish. "I ordered nothing done to him. They make their own punishments." His tone unbending and superior as the half-truths and lies rolled sweetly from his tongue.

Her emotions too turbulent to taste the truth, Frigga advanced another step in her confrontation of Odin's pig-headedness. "Do you know what was done to him?"

Odin dismissed her concerns with a snarl. "Bah, woman. Loki is a god. He will heal with not a mark left on him."

"What of his mind? Will there be no mark left upon his mind?" The cutting words and biting tone revealed that Frigga had already formed her answer to this question.

Odin leaned forward as he bluntly taunted, "Was that not the point of this endeavor? To set his mind to a point he would be open to instruction?" He spoke before she could, cutting off any objection she would have voiced. "Do not think that boy does not understand the need to use cruelty for a greater good." Odin pointed a finger at Frigga then shook it to make his next point. "Loki as always had a cruel streak in him if it meant his own satisfaction. And he is one who has always been rebellious and full of contempt for what is expected of him. And he was no different in the dungeons. Unbridled and wild. Despite all opportunities to shed his scornful and insolent manner he had the gall to make a mockery of every attempt." Time to change tactics. Odin again pointed a finger at Frigga. "You have always been too soft on him. Making his mind weak with lesser emotions."

Frigga took the steps needed to bring her close enough for the wisps of magic to brush against his awareness. "No." Her voice gave word to her unwavering conviction. "No, you will not lay his madness at my feet. I provided succor to the wounds and pains you inflicted on a boy and man you knew was too intelligent to be dismissed with simple platitudes. You refused to answer his questions and allowed him to conclude his own." Frigga pointed at Odin. "You will not use that tactic with me. Nothing excuses what you have done now."

Odin stared at his wife. She was nearly glowing with power, he could feel it and knew that was her intent. He kept his face stony, if he let slip his desire for her she would attempt to send him through the wall. He kept his amusement inside, in her state she most certainly would send him through a wall.

Frigga clenched her fists. "Bring them home."

"I can not."

"Can not or will not?"

"I will not because it is not time." He held up a hand as he spoke past the start of her protests. "And I can not because Thor has hidden them from Heimdall's Sight." Odin appeared annoyed. "That is Loki's doing."

Frigga's voice revealed how little she thought of this excuse. "Heimdall could easily find them by watching Thor's friends. He would seek their aid."

"It seems our eldest has left his friends and travelled afar." There was a reluctant hint of pride in Odin's voice. "His location is unknown though Heimdall says he can feel them both still. Despite his inability to see their exact location, he believes they remain in one place."

"With Jane?" Frigga's voice didn't hide her curiosity not her hopefulness. Jane was no threat to Loki. And they could easily be retrieved from Jane.

"Heimdall has been watching her. His understanding is that Thor went to her, she refused them aid."

"Refused them?" There was a challenge in her voice. "Why?" Jane owed Loki a dept. One she could never repay, the stupid girl.

"Jane believes she is nearing a breakthrough in her attempts to recreate the Bifrost." Odin shook his head slightly at the mortal woman's foolish actions. "She dedicates her time to that endeavor and has no desire to divert her attention with a child." He met Frigga's gaze with no hesitation, "You told me Thor would find the one that Loki requires. That we must trust him." Odin peered intensely into Frigga's eyes, they had a faint golden color glowing in them. "Thor may have found the one for Loki."

Frigga's face smoothed into a mask of composure they both knew was false as she settled her emotions. Her voice was detached when she spoke again. "And what of Thor?"

Odin's voice was commanding, there was no doubt or uncertainty in it. "That has not changed. Once he settles Loki with this woman he will come home. After, he will accept what is expected of him." His face gave nothing away, frightening in its presumptuousness. He had never failed in bending others to his will, eventually.

Frigga shook her head, looking at Odin while allowing something close to pity to show on her face and in her voice. "You have no understanding of your firstborn in regards to his brother."

Now Odin looked provoked. Raising his chin while jutting his jaw out, he spoke with ominous certainty, "The boy will do as he is told." He would have no choice, Odin would give him none.

Frigga scoffed, "This time I think you have gone too far even for Thor. You have broken a bond with the boy," Frigga snarled the words, "you may never repair."

Odin stared at his wife with an ill-tempered scowl, he didn't want to believe she could know her son better than he knew his heir. "Thor is the future king of the Nine Realms." Odin's voice came as a serpentine hiss, his words precise and clipped. "The next AllFather. He has no room for such sentiment as a bond." His contempt of the word was clear. "Not even with me." Odin felt the pain of the words as they speared his heart though nothing was revealed in his actions. He could not allow Frigga to be correct about Thor. Odin spoke as he must. "Or you. Just as you did with Loki, you make Thor weak." There was a pause as Odin let the words sink in. "That can not continue."

Frigga thought her ability to be shocked had ceased long ago and yet she felt it begin to roll over her like a wave then crash to a stop as it hit her. She swayed. "Was this your original plan all along?" She whispered with her voice finally giving away her feelings. "To break his family bonds?"

Odin straightened impossibly more to look down at Frigga. "Thor is soft. His emotions lead him to chaos the same as Loki's, and bring the same disastrous consequences." Odin thought of the vow he had made to a young mother that he would never let harm befall her or their child. He forced his mind to turn away from how many times he had broken that vow, how he was breaking it at this very moment in so many ways. 

"And who's actions led Loki to those emotions and consequences?" Frigga's frustrations poured out of her.

"Silence Woman!" Odin's voice filled the chamber and the flames in the hearth wavered. There was contempt and frustration in his words. "Thor must become ready to take the throne." Odin's fist pounded down on the table. "The methods may not the same but he is being honed same as Loki. For Thor, Loki's misfortune is hardening him, preparing him for his final testing. He will understand and accept Loki's sacrifice willingly."

Frigga had begun shaking her head in the middle of Odin's announcement and now she accused, "Loki's sacrifice? One that he had no say in making? That will gouge wounds into his soul?" She fisted her hands while her breasts heaved as she took deep breaths. "No! This is not what we spoke of those years ago. This is not what we agreed to. Did you lie to me from the start or did you change your mind without feeling the need to speak to me first?"

Odin said nothing and for Frigga that was answer enough. She stepped back and Odin allowed her. He watched her with the curiosity of a well sated predator watching a small animal climb over its paws. He loved her, he did, but she would never understand that he was without any alternative when it came to his obligation as AllFather. She didn't know the resilience and determination the boys would need. What the future required of them. His sons would have to be relentless if they were to survive. Only he understood.

Frigga slowed her breathing and gathered her emotions, schooling her face smooth as marble. She spoke powerfully, pulling her magic close as she declared, "I was wrong. You, Odin AllFather, can not sever the disappointment of a father in his sons from a King's duty to faithfully judge his subjects. Therefore your reason and pronouncements are corrupt." Her spine seemed to stretch as she pulled her shoulders back and declared, "Therefore I, Frigga AllMother, give you notice that as of this moment that my participation in these actions has come to an end." 

Odin watched as Frigga snapped a turn and walked from him with the doors opening before she reached them though neither she nor the guards touched them. From the moment she had forced her way in she had reminded him of why he had been so eager to marry her. She was his equal in every way, he never was more reminded of that than now.

Odin called after her, his voice snapping at her heels, "Do not think to interfere with my intentions, woman."

Frigga turned back around, her face full of her defiance. "Do not think you can order me otherwise." At the wave of his hand in brazen dismissiveness, she raised her chin in a rude fearlessness. "And you keep your spies away from me or else the next time you see them they will be served to you on a plate."

Odin's eyebrow rose as he watched her turn to leave. "No need to be foul tempered, wife." His voice was deceptively affectionate.

Frigga turned on him as though she were going to strike him down. She moved towards him so quickly Odin wondered if that was her intent, her arms were out from her body, her palms towards him and her fingers splayed wide. Golden sparks dripped from them to bounce off the stone floor. Odin found himself trapped within her savage gaze.

Stopping within arms reach, eyes glowing, she spoke with a growl low in her throat. "You have yet to see me foul tempered. Husband."

And with those words she sweep from his office, a true Goddess. Once she was gone the guards looked uncertainly into the AllFather's office to see him standing impossibly still while an expression of aggravated fury warred with the faintest look of pride and respect.


	31. Bath Interrupted

Once in her room Annie pressed her hands against her eyes while pushing out a deep breath. Holy. Heck. Dropping her hands she stood in her room, not seeing anything. "Well." She nodded. "Well, well." She felt herself snort, "That's a deep subject." She felt laughter bubbling up, "Really, girl? Dad jokes?" 

Shaking her head she walked into her bathroom then turned around and came right back out. "You came in here to get dressed. Let's just start with that first, okay?" From her dresser she grabbed jeans and a clean V-neck t shirt. Her favorite deep blue color she tossed it along with the jeans on the bed while grabbing clean panties and a bra. "Cotton. It's the fabric of life."

Getting dressed she continued talking to herself. "Okay, get over yourself, this morning isn't about you. It's about Loki. Getting Loki a bath. Okay. Cleaned up. We can do this, just be calm. Cool and calm." 

Not bothering with socks Annie headed into the bathroom to brush her hair, her feet on the cool bathroom floor reminding her of the story Thor told. She grinned slightly at the mental picture of little Loki running barefoot through a castle or palace with a maniacal grin on his cute little face. As the brush swept through her hair the grin faded as she pictured her Loki sitting on her couch. Her brushing slowly came to a stop as she stared thoughtfully into the mirror, speaking softly as she realized, "That's why Thor is so torn up. He knows both Loki's and they're not the same person." She brushed her hair some more, still thinking. "That's okay, this Loki is the only one that counts." Pulling her hair into a ponytail then tucking the ends into the hair band so it would be out of the way, Annie leaned forward to consider herself in the mirror. "You've got your work cut out for you, girl." Staring intently into her eyes she finally laughed, "Oh my God, you're such a dork."

Walking out of the bathroom still shaking her head and chuckling ,she opened her door and walked out.

On the other side of the door Annie found Loki still sitting on the couch but Thor was no where in sight. A glance into the kitchen showed all the dishes were done and sitting in the drying rack. Walking over to the couch and looking down at Loki, her heart felt like it skipped so hard it actually hurt. Pressing a hand to rub at her chest, Annie came around the couch and knelt down.

"Wow. You ate everything?" Annie motioned to the empty plate. There was no answering nod or look from Loki. Well of course he did, ya idiot. Who else would have eaten it? Geeze, any more dumb questions? "I'm, well, that's great." Annie bent her head down so she could look up into his eyes, "I want you to tell us if you don't feel good though, okay? Not too much at one time. I don't know how your, system works." Annie sat on the floor, her back touching the coffee table. "I probably shouldn't have given you so much." Annie grimaced. "Probably not any of that. Maybe the eggs. Eggs are probably okay." She rubbed at her eyes, "Uhg, I should have researched this better." She glanced at Loki, "sorry, kiddo."

Thor came out from the bedroom and saw Annie sitting on the floor in front of Loki while talking to him. He felt confidence flow into him. She would fix Loki, Strange would remove the collar so Loki could shift and Loki would know what to do next. Coming to a stop behind the couch Thor folded his arms, "What is our next action, Lady Annie?"

With a slightly embarrassed smile Annie answered, "You can just call me Annie. I won't go so far as to say I'm not a lady but I'm not a Lady Annie. Not the title anyway."

Thor rose up and down on his toes, "You are worthy to be called by that title. Though I understand many Midgardian females find my manners," Thor looked puzzled, "rather insulting though I mean nothing of the kind."

Annie smiled wide, nodding up at him, "Oh, I can see that, absolutely. But it's just that you're old fashioned in a way women aren't used to any more."

"Manners should never be considered outdated." Thor frowned.

"You're right. But attitudes change about certain manners." Annie shrugged, "Some women see certain actions as a man thinking they're weak. Which they find insulting. But don't think I'm insulted," She held up a hand. "I have no problem with a guy opening a door for me. My hands are usually full of tools anyway. Besides, when it's you," she pointed to him, "I doubt most women would be insulted. You're probably incapable of insulting a woman."

Thor opened his mouth to answer then stopped. He'd rather not reply to that statement. To his shame, in his youth he hadn't always reflected his Mother's teachings in regards to women. Instead he asked again, "Very well, then what is next? Annie." He gave her a mischievous smirk.

Annie slowly reached out for the plate on Loki's lap, his hands didn't move but his fingers pulled back to allow the plate to move without touching him. "How about we give you that bath?" Annie spoke soothingly to Loki who remained head down and still.

Thor let out a breath. "That would be good, as long as you are prepared for," he struggled for the right words, "unpleasantness." His face twisted as he didn't like his choice of words. It was so much more than that.

"Tell me what happened." Annie observed Loki as she listened, he seemed to appear detached but she knew he was listening to their every word.

His body language appearing passive, Loki's hands came closer together but only his fingertips touched. Tapping softly, one against the other, every so often meeting with one tip pressing into the other. Shoulders hunched he let his head hang down, his breathing silent and slow.

So Thor explained what happened with the shower while Annie listened. It didn't take Thor longer than a few minutes to tell the whole experience, leaving Annie feeling a grim ache for Loki. Kids didn't deserve to feel this kind of fear.

Still sitting on the floor, she rose up enough to lean on the couch, coming forward slightly so he could at least chose to see her profile if he wanted to. "Loki." Annie made her voice as confident and unwavering as she could. She didn't want him to have the slightest doubt in her words. "I am so sorry that something happened to you that makes you that scared. I want you to know that if you ever feel anything like that ever again you can tell me, or Thor, and we will protect you. Okay? Do you understand?" She was holding her breath so that she wouldn't miss the slightest sound he made.

Standing above them Thor stood watching, his heart pounding inside him. He had given his oath to Loki last night and now he was watching Lady Annie give hers. He doubted she would understood the gravity of the oath she gave but he didn't doubt that she would hold herself to the same standards as he did. 

Annie waited for some sign that Loki understood what she had said, the slightest reveal that he gave. The tip of one finger on each hand pressed into the other hard enough to leave a white indentation. Annie slowly moved a hand to cover what she thought must be a small foot hidden under the folds of Thor's cape. Giving it the gentlest squeeze she spoke quietly, "If I ever do anything that scares you or makes you uncomfortable I want you to show me or tell me. I don't want to scare you, okay?" Again there was no reaction except for his fingers that now moved to clasp each other tightly. But that was enough for Annie, he had heard her.

Needing to take a breath and give herself some mental space she moved back physically and asked Thor as she looked up at him. "You said before that you knew some of the things that happened to him in the- jail? Dungeon?" 

"Dungeons." He seemed to shake himself as if clearing away a spell that had clouded him mind.

"Dungeons, that's right. Real dungeons?"

Thor frowned. "Yes." He answered slowly, shifting his head to look at her sideways. "Are there any other kind?"

Annie felt her face blush as she felt a single laugh escape. "No, no. I've just never known anyone who was kept in a real dungeon. On earth, Midgard, we haven't done that for awhile."

Thor cleared his throat. "Actually, there are still some in use here. I've had missions where we've found people."

Annie stared at Thor, mouth slightly agape. "Really?" When he nodded she snapped her mouth shut. Well hells bells. My world sucks too. Annie rubbed her forehead. "When I talk to you I learn so many things I don't want to."

"I am sorry." Thor's voice sounded full of honest regret.

Annie shook her head as she looked up at him with a smile, "Don't be. The wonderful outweighs the bad. I mean, who knew there was a planet with trees tall enough to reach the clouds, right? Or with pigs big enough to ride."

"Or talking goats."

"What?" Annie's eyes widened till she wondered if they would pop out of their sockets. Probably not something her local Urgent Care could handle. Talking goats? 

Thor grinned boyishly while shaking his head, "No, I jest. But your face is quite humorous."

She narrowed her eyes while trying not to laugh because she knew she'd start snorting, "Yeah, I'm sure it is." She rolled her eyes. "Sadly, back to Asgard's dungeon." The humor fell off both of their faces. "Do you know of anything that happened that would make him terrified of water? Or taking a bath?"

Annie saw his jaw tightening, the ball of muscle flexing. His arms flexed as well, his whole body growing tense. He pressed his lips while his brows crashed together. With a glance at Loki he dropped his arms as he began pacing, Annie kept quiet and waited.

After watching Thor's hands open and close to make tight fists Annie let her gaze rest on him when he came back to where he had started. "I was informed he was tortured with water." He spoke with bitterness. "Loki has never had a fear of water, he's always been a graceful swimmer. However he has never tolerated hot temperatures well." Thor stared at the back of Loki's head. "The, guards-" Thor spat the word out as though it were poison. "They were known to pour buckets of water over him. It was a claim at bathing him but the water was near boiling." Thor moved closer and placed a solid hand on his Brothers neck then ran it up to feel the spikes with his finger tips.

Sick bunch of bastards. I hope their balls boil off. Who are these people that can do this kind of sick shit? Annie shook her head. What do you mean? As if there aren't the same kinds of sick fucks right here on good old Midgard. Earth. 

Annie moved her hand from his foot closer to his hands. "I'm sorry that happened to you." His fingers stilled. "If I was there I would have never let that happen to you. I would have fought every last one to keep you safe." She moved her fingers, rubbing slowly over him. The cape was soft, warm, and she felt his muscles flex underneath her hand.

Loki's head raised slowly, green eyes meeting her gaze steadily. His face didn't so much as twitch or change expressions in the slightest. She saw the same nearly impassive mask that he always wore, however now Annie saw his eyes move over her face. He swallowed then let his gaze slide away from hers to the side then down to his fingers. They were folded together, his hands pressing together tightly, all his fingers creased with white from the pressure where they touched. He may not have answered her but she had more proof that he understood every word she said.

Getting to her feet slowly, Annie stretched her back muscles out while looking at Thor. "Okay, no showers. So lets try a bath. I'm going to grab some stuff from my bathroom and meet you guys in yours. Yeah?"

Thor nodded, "Yes," He moved towards Loki, "Come Brother." Thor had mixed feelings, he was restless to get Loki's bath over with but he didn't want to be disappointed with another failure.

Annie grabbed a bottle of body wash and popped the cap, giving it a sniff. Lavender, nice and calming. Exactly what they needed. She grabbed the two-in-one shampoo/conditioner and headed to the boys bathroom. Coming to the doorway she stopped, Thor was leaning against the sink counter, nearly filling the bathroom. Loki was held in his arms leaning against his chest, still wrapped in the red cape.

Huh, I never thought this was a small bathroom before. Annie squeezed past them to the bathtub which was also a shower. With walls on three sides the final long side was enclosed by two sliding glass doors. Annie stood staring down at the tub then looking up at the showerhead then back to the entirety of the unit.

Leaning over she set the plug and turned the faucet on. At the sound on the water hitting the tub she heard a sound. She looked back at Loki who was looking at the shower/tub combo. She could see trepidation and unease in his face. His eyes darted to hers. His normal air of detachment disappeared as he squirmed ever so slightly against Thor.

To Thor she said, "Why don't you come sit on the toilet seat? Then he can watch the water, I'm just going to put in enough to cover the bottom."

Thor moved closer and Loki stiffened. A small hand came out of the cape and the long sleeve of the tunic and pushed on Thor's chest. There was the faintest sound of distress coming from Loki's open mouth. He was starting to lean back from Thor, eyes widening.

Annie turned off the water. As Thor sat down he was close enough that Annie could kneel down and look into Loki's face. "Hey, hey, look at me. Look at me, okay?" Loki's eyes bounced to hers then back to the tub then back to Annie. "I won't put in any more water. You can just sit there, all right? Just sit and look at the water."

Still wrapped inside the cape, Loki's legs were either feebly kicking or his knees were coming up to try to push away. His frail body trembled, the muscles moving without thought. His head was shaking in the smallest way, he didn't agree with this, not with any of it.

Thor bent over Loki, resting his head against his Brothers back. Even through the cloth of the tunic and the cape his hearing could make out the sound of Loki's pounding heart. Thor could feel the fear, smell it mingling with the other foul smells clinging to his usually pristine Brother.

Annie watched Loki's eyes as they looked all around the bathroom, the walls and ceiling. His breathing was becoming panting, he was shaking his head, his eyes finally landed on Annie and didn't leave her face. His mouth opened but no words came out, just harsh breaths.

Annie made up her mind. "We're going to try something else." Her voice resolute, she stood.

Thor's head rose as he met Annie's determined face. His relief making him feel nearly ready to groan aloud with it. He was tired of Loki suffering, tired of being the cause of it. So very tired of not knowing what to do about it.

"Come on." She grabbed a stack of towels as she walked from the bathroom without waiting to see if Thor was following her, she knew he would be. Going into the kitchen she set the towels on the counter along with the bottles. She pushed the dishrack with the drying dishes in it farther down the long counter then grabbed some cleanser from under the counter with a scrub brush.

Coming from the bathroom Thor wrapped Loki in his arms as he felt the boy slump against him, holding him tightly. The relief he felt in the little body was hurtful. Following Annie, Thor watched intently while standing at the end of the counter as she scrubbed the sink, seeming to do it with a fierce determination. He wondered what she was thinking that would cause her to clean so mightily. "Annie? You have a different plan?"

Annie was pissed. How dare these fuckin' assholes terrify a little kid to the point that he couldn't even take a bath? Annie whirled on Thor, her face giving away her intense emotions so clearly that he raised an eyebrow and almost took a step back. She pointed a finger at him. "I will fight you for the pleasure of hurting him. Because I will, Thor. Anyone who does something like this," She pointed to Loki, "Is a sick fu- freak and needs to be put down like a rabid dog. So I will fight you for who gets to throw the first punch at the asshole who did this to Loki."

Thor stared at Annie as she went back to scrubbing the sink, even harder than before. He had only half of a understanding on what she had said but he got her intent utterly. He didn't bother stopping the gaze of appreciation from filling his face, the Norn's had sent him the perfect woman for Loki.

Annie glanced at the silent god, still boiling in her fury but aware that she may have offended him by possibly challenging his right to avenge Loki. "Thor?" He had a look of fuzzy admiration on his face.

There was a tone of wonder in his voice, "You're like a Valkyrie. Loki's Valkyrie." Thor shifted his Brother in his arms. "You defend him so fiercely yet he is no kith nor kin to you." Thor's next words held near reverence though there was a streak of insistence that demanded an answer. "Why? Why would you feel so deeply for someone who has done your world such a grievous wrong?"

Annie rinsed the sink using the only concession to modern in the farm sink, the detachable spray nozzle. She watched the water swirl down the drain until it was clean. She turned the water off.

Well Hells Bells woman. You did it now. Lie or truth? Lie or truth? Well, stick to the truth but don't tell all, this isn't daytime TV.

Walking to the towels she grabbed several, using the time to think. She didn't look at Thor, unfolding the first towel and spreading it on the counter near the sink. "First of all. Loki," She pointed at the boy in Thor's arms, "Hasn't done one thing to my world." Now she contemplated Thor with an irritated gaze, she had already made her feelings on this clear. "Second," Annie shrugged with false carelessness, "I don't like people who hurt kids." She tugged on a lose thread. Well I need new towels for sure now because I'm going to unravel this if I keep yanking on it. Maybe some nice red ones, hmm. I wonder what Thor's favorite color is. Probably red. Or gold. Or blue. A nice blue would go with his eyes. Wonder what Loki's is. She spread out several more towels on both sides of the sink, their edges hanging down into it.

"You've said that before. I don't think anyone favors those who bring harm to those weaker ones who should be protected. However your feelings for Loki are personal. I would know why." He didn't distrust Annie in the slightest. He just craved knowing why the Norns had chosen her. What was in her that was going to save Loki that was lacking inside himself? Thor shifted Loki in his arms while stepping closer to Annie, resting a hip against the counter.

Annie looked up at Thor, his blue eyes were intense. Wow, holy cow. Those are some really, really blue eyes. Nice eyelashes too. Annie looked down at the snapped thread in her hands. Twirling it in her fingers she took a deep breath, when she spoke she made her words come out even and casual. "I didn't have the best childhood. And I saw a lot of other kids who had it worse than me. So," Annie shrugged and turned sideways to look at Thor, her arms crossing protectively across her chest even though she wasn't aware of doing it. "I take it personal when I see it happening to someone I know. I may not have known Loki for very long but, I like him. He's a good kid." Her eyes dropped down and she was looking into bright green eyes that had been watching her as she was talking.

Thor said nothing for a moment, then cleared his throat. "I understand. My apologies for making you speak on something so painful." He shouldn't feel better but he did. There was nothing lacking in him other than experiences. He could never have been the one to save Loki if these were what was required. "I should not have pressed you-"

Annie held up her hand to stop his words. "We all have a past that we can't change. But we all have a future that we can change." Annie grabbed a wash cloth and set it in the drain.

"Wise words."

"They're from a poster outside my high school guidance councilors office. I sat in that hall often enough to memorize it." She glanced at Thor and saw his puzzled look. "The person that's supposed to guide you through your teenage years if you need a little extra help." Annie snorted, "or force you in the direction you do not want to go because they know what's best for you."

Annie let out a deep breath and faced Thor while looking at Loki who had gone back to watching what she was doing with a carefully neutral expression. Time to change gears and get 'er done. "All right." Annie clapped her hands lightly. "Here's the plan. Thor," She pointed to him, "You are going to take Loki into your room and get him changed out of everything. While you're doing that I'm going to set up in here. We're going to wash Loki up here in the kitchen, in the sink."

Thor's eyebrows rose. "The sink?" He turned his head to gently bump his forehead to Loki's head. "He is not a dish." His voice held a note of humor.

Annie grinned at them even though Loki simply blinked at the bump. "Nope but it's out in the open instead of enclosed like the bathroom." Annie had held up a hand and started ticking off her reasons, putting up a finger as she spoke each one. "He's familiar with the area since he's seen us in it. And there's no showerhead so no threat of water coming down on top of him. Plus, we can both fit at the sink next to him."

Thor hid a smile as he thought how much she reminded him of Loki counting off Thor's transgressions. He mentally cringed as he remembered not fixing any of the door handles to Loki's chambers. Hopefully no one would notice and wonder who had dared to enter the Dark Prince's rooms. Nodding Thor gripped Loki tighter. "Very well."

Annie watched them leave then started searching for a large bowl. She finally found a large one that she tossed a wash cloth into. Under her breath she spoke, "Okay then. First, bubbles." Grabbing the body wash she squeezed a good amount in the bowl on the cloth then went to the sink and turned the water to hot and sprayed it on the soap. The water started foaming instantly and she filled the bowl more than half full before stopping and setting it to one side on a towel.

"And now, cushion for a bare butt." Snapping open one of the last towels she laid it over the sink tucking it down into the rounded corners then did it again from the other direction with the last towel. "Buy more towels, a lot more towels." She looked around, one hand on her hip while she tapped the other on her chin. "What else? Ah, cups. Cups and sponges." 

Annie opened the cabinets, grabbing several plastic cups down. Slurpee size cups they were giant so she grabbed a smaller sized one too, this one from a long ago random kids meal. Probably a lunch with Micah. As she set those on the counter Thor came from their bedroom, Loki wrapped in his cape.

Coming over he set Loki on the counter while looking over what Annie had prepared. "I hope that this attempt is successful. If not, then I shall simply take him outside and make it rain."

Annie was about to grin and laugh when she saw Thor's face and realized that he probably wasn't joking. "Oh. Oh, you're serious."

"Yes."

"Uh, no, lets not do that. That doesn't sound, um, good at all. Someone will call the cops for sure if you're out there with a naked kid in the rain." Annie shook her head more than several times. "No, this is going to work." She smiled at Loki who was once more observing what was on the counters. "Right, kiddo?" His eyes raised to glance at hers then went back to studying the items. Annie gave a firm nod anyway. "Right." To Thor she said, "I'm going to grab the last few things from my room, why don't you set him on the edge of the sink with just his feet inside? He can stay wrapped up in the cape for now."

"Very well." Thor moved past Annie as they went in opposite directions. When he got to the sink he shifted Loki to his hip then said, "See Brother? This is the sink, I'm going to set you on the edge." Trying to move with all the confidence he wasn't feeling Thor smoothly transferred Loki to over the sink then lowered him slowly until the boy was sitting on the edge. Thor studied Loki's face looking for any sign of distress just as he had been waiting to feel any signal go through the tiny body. Loki appeared slightly apprehensive if the widening of his eyes was a sign but there was nothing else visible.

Loki's head remained looking down as it always did except now he would be able to see as Thor gently unwrapped the cape from his feet and legs. Thor folded the cape back, trying to keep his face composed as he once more saw Loki's small feet and tiny toes. The skin that should have been so pale was coated in dark streaks of filth, only lighter where Strange had cleaned to care for wounds.

Annie came in to the kitchen, setting more towels down while keeping hold of several bath sponges. "All right, looking good, buddy." She caught the unease that was coming from Thor but wasn't sure what caused it until she came around to smile at Loki. Her gaze was captured by how dirty his legs were, the white scars on him, the healing pink wounds and the few remaining small bandages. But what caused a noisy suck of air was his knobby little knees. Her eyes instantly got teary. Oh man. He's got the cutest little knees. But they're so skinny. And scabbed over. So many scars on his little knees. Annie sniffed and swiped at her eyes.

She huffed out a breath. "So, you ready to get all clean?" Annie knew she sounded slightly demented as she forced her voice to be cheerleader cheerful. "You'll feel so much better, trust me. All right, lets get started. Yeah?" How about you take the manic cheerleader down a notch and try to be normal, yeah?? Yeah, I can do that. Yay, go team, go.

"How may I help you?" Thor was looking at Annie sideways, she had worried him with her tears. Her heart was fierce but very tender. He would protect it when he could.

"Trade me places in a minute." Annie went to the bowl of water that was on the counter at Loki's back and stuck her hand in it. In the time since she had filled it, it had cooled down and now she took the wash cloth out. She let the water drain off of it but didn't squeeze any out, holding her free hand under it she walked over to the sink, changing places with Thor so she was facing Loki. She brought the still dripping wash cloth over the sink, the water falling on the towel where Loki's feet rested.

With no effort on her part she could look Loki in the face as he sat on the counter. She could see his eyes glance at the wash cloth then go right past it to look at her. She felt the beginnings of a smile. "I'm going to wash your toes, okay? If you need me to stop, just let me know." Bringing the wet cloth to his feet she was listening for anything, the slightest sound he might make or breath he would take that let her know to pause but there was nothing. "The waters not hot, more warm." She let the water dribble over his feet and watched as his toes wiggled. She looked up at him, "That tickle? I bet it feels good though." She rubbed the cloth in her hands, foaming the soap. "Look, bubbles." She raised the cloth closer to him so he could see better. "These aren't the most fun bubbles, there's funner kids bubbles. Funner? More fun." Annie rolled her eyes. "Better. There are better bubbles and we'll get you your own with a fun scent, yeah?" She watched his eyes as they watched her hands squish out more foamy bubbles then go back to scrubbing him. 

Thor watched Annie as she washed his Brothers feet. She chattered the whole time, mainly repeating herself about inane, odd Midgardian concepts that he didn't bother pondering over. She was always asking if Loki was still doing well, Thor could tell the boy had no fears taking hold of him because his breathing was still smooth and even. The cloth in Annie's hand had been white but now was turning as it gathered the dirt from Loki's feet. She ran the cloth gently over his feet, between his toes then his soles. Loki's foot jerked in her hands.

Annie stopped. "Did that tickle or did it hurt?" She studied Loki's face, he didn't seem in pain so she ran a finger along his sole and again his foot jerked and his toes clenched. "Ah, maybe you're ticklish there." She glanced up at Thor, her face asking a question.

He shrugged. "I know not if his feet are ticklish, only that his sides are. He once stabbed me after I wouldn't stop tickling him."

Annie gaped at Thor then at Loki, then back to Thor. "Uhm, sounds like you boys should have been better supervised. And while I can sympathize with not wanting to be tickled, that's not exactly how kids should settle their differences." She gently returned one foot then lifted the other to continue washing. She snorted and muttered, "Not to mention not playing with knives."

Thor looked bashful as he rocked back on his heels while he stuffed his hands in his jeans. "Oh, well, that actually wasn't that many years ago." His face flushed at her snort of laughter. Defensively he explained, "He made a rude comment about me in front our friends. I thought it appropriate retaliation."

"Of course he did. And then you did. Because that's what brothers do." Thor noticed the smile fade from Annie's face as she went back to focusing her attention on scrubbing at Loki's legs, lifting his feet to get to the back of them. Setting them down she went behind both Loki and Thor to rinse the wash cloth out and came back, starting once more.

Annie was amazed at the difference she was making even though she could see that there was still dirt embedded around Loki's toenails. Hopefully the water would soften it then wash it away on her final pass. Now she could see the contrast between the skin below that had been washed from the skin above that was still filthy. Rivulets of dirty water ran down the clean skin. She continued to wash, squeezing out all the water from the wash cloth then going back to the bowl to rinse it out and get it soapy again. The towel under his feet was soaked, his toes and feet made little squishing sounds in the dirty water. Annie gently peeled a small bandage from his skin, the wound underneath a healthy pink. 

The first time she had seen Loki's body she had been overwhelmed. She had been unable to take in just how much damage had been done to him. Now she was seeing it up close. Yet she knew that these lines that cut across his skin was nothing compared to what was still covered by Thor's cape. She was dreading it. But she also needed to know."Thor? What would have made these?" Her voice was quiet.

He didn't have to look to know what wounds she was talking about, but he did. "Whips for most of them." Thor rolled his neck and shoulders. "Carelessness if it was not their intent to strike there. Those who wield whips are practiced so most likely Loki was moving when they struck."

Oh yeah. I will make this guy suffer.

Watching as Annie slowly washed her way over Loki's knees Thor watched as she rested a hand on one. "You've got cute little knees, kid." Loki didn't move in anyway, he seemed content to just watch her. As Annie went once more behind them to rinse out the cloth he heard her say, "I'm going to go pour this out and bring back some clean water."

"I'll do it." Thor turned and took the bowl from her, "You can stay with Loki."

"Here. Squirt a little of this in before you refill the bowl." Annie handed him the plastic bottle of body wash. Annie watched Thor's back for a second then went back to Loki, leaning on the counter beside him so they both were facing the same way. They both were looking down at his feet, his toes were moving over the wet towel, clenching in the dirty water that was just starting to saturate the bottom. Annie reached for the small, empty cups and set them in the bottom of the sink towards a far corner.

"You doing okay, kid?" Annie gave him the gentlest bump, shoulder to shoulder. "I think you are but tell me if you need a break." Annie waited for any signal from Loki that would tell her he wanted to stop but there was no change in him. The cape sat around his shoulders, wrapped around him and bunched at his waist, she couldn't see his fingers but she wondered if his hands were tightly clasped together or not. They were quiet as they watched his toes move as Loki would lift them up and down on the wet towel. Annie turned her body to face Loki's more fully. "We've still got a ways to go but I'm proud of how brave you're being." Loki's head turned slightly towards hers though not fully. "Thor and I both are."

"We are both what?" Thor asked as he came back over, setting the bowl of foamy water on the counter.

"Proud of Loki for being brave." Annie had turned her head slightly so she noticed the odd expression flash over Thor's face. She would have said it was one of distaste but it was gone so fast all she had was the smallest impression of it. She took the wash cloth from the bowl of warm water and came back over to the sink.

Thor forced himself to nod while coming closer to Loki to take the spot once more at his Brothers side. "Yes, you're, being very brave." Thor said nothing else. What else could he say? That his Brother's bravery was now measured by his ability to sit without screaming in terror while another bathed him? Loki, who may not seek out conflict, but was fearless in battle? This was not how Loki's life should be and it made Thor feel grieved at the thought. Grieved and insulted.

"Do you want to stand him up and take the cape off? Or me?" Annie's voice brought him back to what they were doing. 

Realizing that Loki's genitals needed to be washed Thor shook his head. "No, allow me to wash him."

Annie felt her face flush but she held Thor's gaze steadily. "I have washed boys before."

Thor again shook his head and took the cloth from Annie's hands. "If Loki remembers these events, and I have no reason to think he will not, he will already be horrified at what has transpired so far. If I allow you to wash him further, child or not, he will do more than gently stab me." Thor gave a lopsided grin. "Spare me the pain of being vigorously poked by one of his daggers and I will call you when it is safe to return."

"Fine." Annie rolled her eyes as she walked out of the kitchen, grabbing a hand towel to dry her hands on as she went. Flinging it over her shoulder she went to her French doors and looked out. The weather looked cold and she was glad that Mike kept the furnace in excellent working order.

She glanced over her shoulder at the boys, Thor had removed the cape from Loki and now had the Loki standing up in the sink. With Thor standing in front of Loki she couldn't see very much but she could tell Thor was careful in his movements and consistent in rinsing out the wash cloth. She could hear the rumble of the gods voice, he was probably whispering but Annie could still almost make out the words. They were warm and calming whatever they were, Annie hoped they helped soothe Loki.

Annie stretched her back, arching and twisting to get the muscles to pull. She didn't know what time it was but knew that she had to get some shopping done today. Loki needed some stuff and they all needed some food. There wasn't a lot left for someone who ate like Thor did.

She watched as Thor had Loki sit back down on the sink edge then look over his shoulder to call to her. "If you would stay with him I will refresh the water."

"Sure." She came over to take Thor's place next to Loki. 

He was sitting on the edge, nude, Thor's cape on the counter opposite them. His hands were loosely held together, resting on his thin legs. He was looking down at his hands, his fingers slowly rubbing against each other. He had soap and dirty water running from his hips down where Annie saw the bones jutting out. She could also see the many round bruises that were fading from the faintest yellow to a nasty green. They sat on his stomach, hips and back and Annie wanted to wash them from Loki's pale skin. They made her feel sick. She knew how those kinds of bruises were made.

"Feeling better?" Annie turned her head to look into Loki's face and was a little startled to see that he was already staring at her. His face had an expression that clearly was puzzled, or confused. As if he were trying to figure something out, something that had to do with her.

"Here we go." Thor set the bowl on the counter with a soft thud and Annie involuntarily glanced at him. When she looked back at Loki he had the same look.

"What did you say to him?" Annie's voice was full of curiosity while an expression of wonder was on her face.

Thor thought that this look made her appear happy, and she should appear like this more often. "Hmm?" 

"Loki. What did you say to him? He's looking at me with-" Annie tried to think of the right words. "Like he's trying to figure me out." She had a nearly goofy grin on her face and she didn't care.

"I was telling him that we were fortunate to have found you. That I know you are the one who the Norns have chosen to help him return to himself." Thor had his own grin. "The Fates have chosen you to help him. So we need to obey you, and all will be as it should."

Well Howdy do to you too. The god thinks he should be obeying me. Well that could veer off into dangerous territory real quick. Oh my God! Like the gutter! Geeze, Annie. His brother is sitting right here for crying out loud. You're heading off into Creepy town, ya letch.

"Uh, well, um." Use. Intelligent. Words. "Yes. Okay." Use them more than one at a time. "Huh, I think, umm, is the wash cloth in the bowl?" Smooth, dork. Real smooth.

Thor reached into the bowl and brought the cloth out of the bowl, the water dripping from his hand. He set it into Annie's outstretched hand, his own hand coming up under hers to catch the water. Annie moved their hands over the sink and she swiveled to face it. She felt like her face was glowing like a lightbulb.

She started washing Loki's knees while getting her mind to come back to what she was doing. Finally it seemed to reboot and she gave herself a shake. Yeah, knees have already been washed. "Okay, you know what, kiddo? How about if you sit cross-legged in the sink so I can wash the rest of you? Do you think you can do that?" She was looking at Loki however her words were also to Thor because she knew she would probably need his help to get Loki to sit.

Thor put his hands on both sides of Loki's hips to lift him up so he could set the boy in the sink except Loki erupted.


	32. Bruises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to know if this chapter answers any questions you had. 
> 
> Does it finally end any concerns you feel about Thor or did it raise more?
> 
> What question do I need to answer for you?

Loki's feet propelled him upwards and away from Thor's grasp, his soapy body easily slipping from his Brothers hands. And seemingly in that very same instant Annie found herself with her arms full of a naked, wet child that had his legs around her waist and his arms so tight around her neck that she felt her breath cut off. Even in her shock she wrapped her own arms around Loki and pulled him from the sink while dropping to sit on the floor. His voice were frenzied, high shrieks that seemed to come from pure panic. Loki's arms went from a death grip around Annie's neck to swinging wildly out, trying to defend himself from a threat only he could see. 

Thor stood thunderstruck, both of his arms outstretched, his hands spread wide though he didn't know why. There seemed nothing he could do, nothing that he could think of to fix what was happening at his feet. He looked down at Loki being rocked while enclosed in Annie's arms, one of her hands rubbing his back the other holding the back of his head. Her voice was repeating a string of words that he couldn't hear because of the pounding of blood in his ears. Thor had been wholly unprepared for Loki's reaction yet now his mind was stuttering to the conclusion that he shouldn't have been. He should have been prepared for it. He slowly sank to his knees until he finally folded over them and dropped his head to the floor. He had failed Loki. Again.

Annie's mind was in overdrive as she tried to skip from zero to one hundred mph while grabbing her order from the drive thru. And still get her change. Fuuuuuck. Two gods having a meltdown in my kitchen. No, this is not good. Not good at all.

Loki had his face buried in her neck, his arms encircled her head and throat almost twice, there was so little slack in them. She could hear and feel the panic-stricken cries as he pushed them out. She had never heard a kid cry like this and she had heard a lot of kids cry. Had been one of them herself. This was something beyond her experience. Desperate. Fearful. Pleading. Angry. Hopeless.

Annie could only lower her eyes to look at Thor, her chin was caught on Loki's shoulder. She finally could understand his words and her heart was torn between hate and pain. Hate for the man who had done this to Loki and pain for the child that had suffered it. 

Like any child Loki could only sustain his cries for so long and gradually his wails turned into whimpering whispers. The minutes past painfully slow until Loki could only pant out in her ear, "No." And "Please." Over and over again.

Annie tried to pull back to see his face but his grip was too tight. She looked at Thor, he was still hunched over, his hands clasped over the back of his head. His body was still so she didn't think he was crying but she wasn't sure. Annie reached a hand out to pat Thor's back as well, rubbing it the same as she did Loki's while she whispered in Loki's ear. "You're okay now. It's over. I promise. I've got you. You're safe." A mantra that she had every intent to see come true.

Thor listened to the soft words, he knew she said them for Loki however he allowed them to pour over his own hurts as well. He needed to hear the promise along side Loki, he was not practiced at this. Thor pulled his torso upright, remaining on his knees. He looked at Loki whose voice had dropped to near silent mouthing's. Annie met his eyes. He felt shamed that he had left her to take on Loki's fit alone, he just could not bear to think of what had been done to Loki. A Prince of Asgard. "I have decided that I will not kill Reapt." Annie's eyes looked startled. "I will let him live, in the dungeons while I return every injury he visited upon Loki to his own body. And then I shall start again."

Annie stared deep into the blue of Thor's eyes then licked her lips. She felt compelled to say something though she had to admit that the idea was tempting. The reality was not. "That's actually a human rights violation here." She gave what she knew was a pathetic attempt at a smile. "Just saying."

Thor's near blank expression didn't change. "I am not Midgardian. I am a god, I answer to only one-" Here, finally, Thor's eyes narrowed in an unsettling viciousness. "And he is the cause of this so I answer only to myself." 

Annie felt an uneasy feeling in her stomach as she smelt the ozone that she was realizing came when Thor was angry. The sound of thunder that wasn't all that far off was another sign. "And me." Thor's eyes met hers. "You kinda said you had to do what I told you, remember?" She was furious too but her threatening to kill someone was very different than Thor threatening to torture them. Thor could actually do it.

There was just the slightest relaxing of the lines around his eyes, "Yes, and you." His voice was quiet, as if reminding himself of something he had long ago forgotten. Then he frowned and looked at Annie with a confused, scrunched face. "You said you wanted to kill Reapt. Why do you get to kill him but I do not get to torture him?"

Annie licked her bottom lip as she was struck by this logical question. "Well," She really couldn't help slightly smiling at the ill-logical words she was going to say next. "Here it's okay to kill someone, you just can't torture them first." Thor frowned even more fiercely. "Though even killing someone isn't accepted by most." Annie squeezed Loki tighter as she softly admitted, "I probably wouldn't have the guts to kill that guy, either. I said it in the heat of the moment."

Thor's eyes were the only thing that moved as they shifted to study her for what felt like a very long moment. He had a nearly blank look on his face as he also quietly spoke. "If you were protecting Loki, I think you would gut Reapt wide open and walk through his entrails."

Well. That is. Uh, a word picture I will never get out of my head. Yeah, that sounds like good times and good dreams tonight.

"Oh. Um. Thanks?" Annie gave the faintest nod. "Yeah." Loki had finally relaxed enough that she could lean back to see his face, his eyes were closed though his mouth hung open as he pulled in soft little fluttery breaths. Annie looked back to Thor. She cleared her throat, "Can you hand me your cape?"

Thor reached a long arm up to the counter and pulled it down, handing it to Annie who did her best to hold it against the still slightly wet body. "I saw the bruises, I have an idea why he reacted the way he did." Her voice was subdued, she settled Loki more comfortably on her lap. Her legs were going numb.

Thor licked dry lips as he nodded. "He was-"

Annie held out a hand as soon as Thor opened his mouth, "Wait! Not in front of him."

Thor squinted one eye at her. "You would have me not speak before Loki of something that was done to Loki?" His voice clearly told that he was confused.

Annie realized it probably sounded weird but she answered anyway, "We don't usually talk about things like what you're going to say in front of kids. Especially if it happened to them."

Thor shook his head, "If your thought is to protect him, it is far too late for that. Loki was raped by the guards. While it's not uncommon, it should have never have-"

"What. Did you just. Say?" Annie's arms tightened convulsively around Loki, she heard a grunt from him and forced her grip to relax. "Say that again."

Without looking uncomfortable Thor did just that. "Loki was raped?"

"Not that. The other part."

Thor tilted his head. "That it is common?"

"Yes." Annie spoke through clenched teeth. "I believe I will need you to explain that to me because I'm pretty sure you can't mean what I think you mean."

Thor pursed his lips while he studied Annie then spoke. He understood she was upset but he wasn't certain at which part. "Loki was a level two prisoner, those prisoners have no protections. The only requirement is that they are not killed. They can not refuse a legal punishment but any action outside of that they can defend themselves from. If they can not defend themselves-" Thor raised his hands in defeat, "Then anything can be done to them." He had no trouble meeting Annie's eyes with no guilt. "For a man of Asgard, rape is humiliating. It is meant to shame him, showing he is powerless, weak."

"That's sick. And wrong. Just wrong." Annie shook her head while brushing a hand over Loki's hair, his spikes snapping back up.

There was a negligent tilt of Thor's head. "If one does not wish to face what occurs in the dungeons, then one should not commit the crimes to enter there." His face was set. So sure of his convictions.

Her mouth had fallen open, she snapped it shut when she thought she was going to start drooling. "So you're saying that Loki deserved what happened to him? That you're okay with it?" Thor was about to answer when she just kept on speaking. "Because he certainly couldn't defend himself. He's a kid, not a man. But, according to you, they were within their rights to do whatever they wanted to him." Again he was about to speak but she pointed an accusing finger at him and sharply continued. "So you have no right, none at all, to be upset about what this Reap guy, or whoever, did to him. You can't even be mad at the person you said was the guy responsible for what happened to Loki. I mean, that other Loki broke the law, right?" Thor looked stunned and didn't even attempt to speak. "So when he got turned into this Loki-" Annie looked down at the boy in her arms, he had laid his head on her shoulder and now one eye was looking at her. "Just a little kid who couldn't defend himself against grown men, then it was his fault. So it should be fine he was raped and abused, right? Right, Thor?"

He looked at her, open mouthed and slightly taken aback. Closing his mouth he swallowed several times before speaking. "No, no." He protested her words as he slightly shook his head, his confidence coming back to him. "No, for others, perhaps. However, Loki is a Prince of Asgard, second heir to the Throne of the Nine Realms." His voice regained it's certainty as he tried to convey his truth. "Loki should under no circumstances have ever been placed at a level two. And even then, he should have never had a single hand raised to him outside of his rightful punishments. He should have been respected for who he is." Thor motioned to Loki. "A child's body or not, they could have whipped him and I would have said nothing. But this, I could not accept this to my Brother and a fellow Prince. It was dishonorable to treat him thusly." Thor's eyes shifted to Loki. "Look what it did to him. No one has a right to treat him this way. No one." Thor's voice was resolute and powerful yet with a touch of a sullen child saying the world is not fair.

Annie was quiet as she let Thor's words rattle around in her brain. She wanted to make sure she understood what he was saying even though she could never understand the idea behind them because, well, because because. Just. Because. This time she softly cleared her throat once then asked, "Do you mean that if someone else's child, say a blacksmith's son, had been treated the same as Loki, you would be fine with it, because that boy isn't a prince? Is that what you're saying?" Her eyes narrowed. "Is. It. Thor?"

Thor paused in his answer, not because he didn't have one but because he had seen this exact face and heard this exact same tone of voice from Jane. She had asked a question in this same tone and when he had given his strangely wrong answer, it had resulted in a rather long time that he had been unwelcome in Jane's bed. Though he wasn't sleeping in Annie's bed, and had no intent to be sleeping there, he knew that an incorrect answer meant danger to his contentment and comfort. "Of course not."

Annie's eyes narrowed and Thor wondered if he had still made the wrong choice. She huffed out a breath and when she looked down at Loki, Thor looked too. Loki had relaxed enough to slide down to sit completely in her lap, though his arms still were reaching up towards her neck. His face was pressed into her chest, one eye staring at Thor. 

Annie shifted Loki slightly, "Thor, I'm trying really hard to understand your thought process, I am. I know that Asgard is a totally different world, a different culture and a whole different everything." Annie paused as she tried to think of how to say what she wanted to say next. "But, I just-" She struggled for the words. "I want to be respectful of you, I do. Okay?" Annie brought a hand up and set it over the one ear not against her chest, covering it so Loki hopefully couldn't hear her next words. "But your world is fucked up if you guys think raping anyone, man, woman or child, is acceptable under any circumstances. Ever." Her glare at him was fierce and threatening, she took her hand off Loki's ear so he could hear her next words. "And if you ever say anything that makes Loki think that he deserved a single thing that happened to him," She raised an eyebrow, "you can head back to your Avenger friends . Because Loki didn't do anything to deserve being hurt like this. You got it?"

Thor studied Annie with an appraising eye. She was grave in appearance and resolute in manner. He had no doubts that she would withdraw her gift of sanctuary for himself while holding fast to Loki. He nodded solemnly. He could try to keep his beliefs to himself.

"Say it. So Loki can hear you." Annie raised her chin up, "It's more important to him than it is to me."

Thor swallowed. He didn't want to say his agreement aloud, it was too much like an oath. His eyes dropped to Loki and met a single green eye staring at him. His Brother was looking at him, his head still resting on Annie's breasts though he had turned his head slightly. There were no negative emotions, no accusation in the look. Thor wondered what Loki felt about what had happened to him. Did he understand why it had happened? Did he know that it was simply accepted within the confines of the dungeon? Thor felt his stomach tighten at the thought of Loki's suffering.

"Thor?" Annie's voice made it clear she was waiting. They both were.

"I will try my best to never make Loki feel that any of his sufferings were his fault or that he was deserving of them." Thor leaned forward just a few inches. "Brother, I would never have allowed you to suffer as you did had I but known from the start." He reached his hand out and gently cupped a huge hand around the back of Loki's head. 

Annie took Thor's words as a win. He had done what she had asked. Ha! Asked? Demanded is more like it. You demanded that he promise or you would basically kidnap Loki. So yeah, there's that. 

"I need to know something else, its been bugging me and since we're having an intense conversation on my kitchen floor, I figure why not have one more." Annie watched as Thor sat back, looking at her warily. Which he should, all things considered.

"Very well. Ask of me and I will answer." Thor was cautious but willing.

"Do you consider Loki a child or an adult? This Loki?" Annie dropped her head to use her chin to point to Loki. His arms had slowly come down and now were tucked in-between himself and her. She could feel his fingers as they fidgeted against her stomach. "You go back and forth when you talk about him."

Thor frowned, he hadn't been expecting this question and didn't know how to answer it. He opened his mouth then closed it as he pondered her words closer. Licking his lips he observed Loki's breathing, it had calmed, now it was near normal with only a quavering one every few. Thor rubbed his palms on his thighs, feeling the strange material of the breeches known on Midgard as jeans.

"I think of him-" There was a frown that took over his whole face as he grappled with his own confusion. "He is, Loki, in a child's body." Thor's irritation heaved out in a sigh and stooped shoulders. "Truthfully I do not know what I think. I waver between thinking of him as a helpless child in both mind and body. But then at other times as a child in body yet with still the mind of my Brother. Able to hear me and understand everything I say but for some reason unable or unwilling to respond. It vexes me, this confusion, as I don't know how to treat him from one moment to the next." His voice ended with annoyance and aggravation in its tone.

Annie felt compassion for this big old god sitting on her floor, admitting his confusion and angst. From what he had previously said about the beliefs in his culture she was pretty sure that he had never been taught how to deal with any of the more subtle emotions. And Loki's condition was full of subtly.

She licked her lips even as she thought about what to say to Thor that would both comfort him and help him make the best choices for Loki. Because when it came down to it, Thor was an adult who could take care of himself. Loki was a kid who couldn't, and that meant he had to be put first and protected. And just like that Annie had an idea.

"It doesn't matter. It really doesn't." She met Thor's inquiring blue eyes. "He needs your protection, no matter how you think of him, he needs you to stand by him and protect him. Right now his body is that of a child, but you've always been his big brother. Hasn't he always been your little brother in need of you?" Annie was taking a huge leap here, she could only hope she had read the relationship correct since she only had Thor's side of it.

But already Thor was nodding his head, the faintest smile touching his lips. "Yes, even though he has hated every moment of it, I have always been running after him to try to keep him from falling too deep into real mischief. Though he has always done the same for me when my blood runs hot and my mind refuses to think." Now the smile grew soft, "Which is most often, unfortunately."

"So don't think of him as anything more than your little brother who needs you. You can keep him safe, no one will hurt him while you're near him. It doesn't matter if he answers us or not, you, me, both of us, just want what's best for him and we'll both do our part to make sure no one ever touches him again." Annie's voice ended on a proclamation. She was telling him her intent.

And he agreed with her. His uncertainty fell away, and though he knew that it may return in moments of stress, he also knew that he would always return to this feeling. One of knowing that no matter what form Loki was in, he loved his Brother and would do anything to keep him safe, to be at his side to protect him. This feeling was nothing new, it would simply be the one that he would try to remember when he felt frustration or irritation.

"Yes. Yes, we will protect him." Thor's eyes met Annie's. "Together."

Well more Hells Bells ringing. Bright blue eyes and godly declarations make for some serious heat. Annie ran her hand over Loki's back and looked down at him, his head turned so he could look up at her. "Do you understand what we're talking about, kiddo?" She waited a long moment then spoke again when he said nothing nor gave any other sign of answering her. "We know why you were scared when Thor touched you, and why you jumped into my arms. We know what happened to you, what those bas- uhmm- what the guards did to you." Annie felt herself blinking rapidly as she stared down into those green eyes. No tears, damn it! Not now. She looked away as she cleared her throat with a ragged cough. When she felt back in a little control she looked at him again. "And, uh, we're sorry you were surprised, we should have let you know what was going on. We-"

Thor interrupted. "Loki." Thor spoke confidently and not as if he were talking to a child. "I didn't think that you being unclothed and my grasping your hips in such a manner would bring back such memories. I apologize, Brother. I meant no harm to you."

Annie glanced up at Thor, she was slightly stunned at the depth of his words, so much better than her own ramblings. Huh, I guess blunt and to the point has its moments. Annie sniffed and felt a tear escape. She was about to try and swipe it from her face with her shoulder when she froze as Loki leaned back to look at her.

Green eyes studied her face curiously while at the same time from under the cape she felt movement as Loki's hand rose up. Brushing softly past her chin, his hand held one finger out. With his eyes locked onto the tear, he gently touched it, collecting it onto the tip of his finger. Annie watched as he looked at the drop sitting on the tip, a small frown appearing between his eyes. Then as she watched he brought the tip to his lips and his tongue peaked out as he hesitantly tasted it. The frown remained as his mouth moved for several seconds, then his face cleared as he sighed and softly laid his head back on Annie's chest. She could feel his arm come back between them, back to slowly brushing his fingers together.

Annie looked to Thor who tilted his head while raising his eyebrows, wordlessly saying that he had no idea what to make of Loki's actions. "Well. Okay then." Annie peered down at the top of Loki's head. "That just happened."


	33. The Scent of Clean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here is a small insight into Loki's escape from the dungeon.
> 
> I hope I was able to also give a little more insight into Thor's emotions and his thought process as far as Loki's treatment.

Annie gave Loki's back a few more gentle rubs over Thor's cape as she blinked away the left over moisture from her eyes. The sounds in the kitchen consisted mainly of the soft noises of the movements of the three of them and the occasional quivering intake of a deep breath from Loki. Like a child who had cried himself out, he seemed to need that extra stuttering breath. She could hardly feel the weight of him against her body, only a little warm spot pressing in close to her. 

On an exhale Annie breathed out, "Ohh kay." She knew tasting the tear meant something to Loki, and maybe to someone who knew more about traumatized kids than she did, but since the moment appeared to be over, she wasn't gong to think too hard about it. At least not right now.

Because he was sitting right up against her, she was becoming aware that he still needed to finish his bath. She could smell him, even though his hair was short, it still reeked. She recognized some of the smells but not all of them. She was thankful for small favorers.

"Thor?" The god looked to her, ready for whatever she asked of him. "We need to finish his bath." She ran a hand over his spikey hair, it felt like it had too much gel in it, and had collected every stray piece of fuzz, dirt and loose piece of filth that it had ever been near.

Thor could only hope Loki would allow them to finish. The blue eyes dropped to take in any reaction from the boy but there was none. Thor looked back to Annie, "What do you want me to do?"

"How about you help us up for starters? He's light but still more than I can lift from the floor straight up." Annie leaned back to attempt to peer into Loki's face. "Alright? Thor's going to help us stand up. Okay?" 

Loki's head remained against her chest as she tightened her arms around his waist. Thor simply reached out and, grasping Annie by her arms, lifted her easily as he himself stood. He continued to hold her until she had gotten her feet planted back under herself, keeping one hand on her shoulder and the other on Loki's back.

"Steady?" His voice was concerned.

"Yeah, we're good." Annie moved closer to the sink, setting Loki on the edge while she asked, "Would you refill the bowl with hot water? I'll make sure Loki's settled." 

Thor nodded and picked up the bowl, glancing down into it he quickly looked away from the brown water.

Once Thor was walking away Annie gave Loki a firm hug, he just felt so birdlike. All bone. Skin pulled tight over shrunken muscles and tendons. His legs were now hanging down against the sink cabinets but his arms were still loosely around her neck and she pulled the cape tighter around him. His head was resting against her chest, she could feel his body move as it pulled in those small breaths. Leaning down she spoke into his ear, trying to be as reassuring and encouraging as she could. "Are you ready to finish your bath? I know you had a scare but I hope you realize that your safe. And we'll be extra careful now. And you'll feel a hundred times better once you're totally clean." She leaned her head to the side so she could look at him with a supportive smile. "Yeah?"

Those bright green eyes rose ever so slightly to meet hers, and she found there was a contemplative look in them. It was strange to see after having seen nothing but blankness or only subtle emotions in them before. Even when Thor came back and they heard the sound of the bowl quietly touch down on the counter, neither one broke eye contact.

Annie allowed Loki to search her face, to take his time to find whatever he was looking for. She continued to rub his back in small motions, hoping to further soothe him. After what seemed like long minutes he huffed out a breath as he looked away then back up at her again. He nodded one time but it was firm and he was looking Annie right in the eyes.

She sucked in a breath that stuttered, her lungs spasming for several seconds while her face burst into a grin. She couldn't stop herself, she gave him a tight hug. Looking at Thor she saw his mouth was turned up in a pleased smile. 

He brought his hand to the back of Loki's neck, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Almost done, just a little while longer."

Pulling in another shaky breath while giving several jerky nods, Annie said, "Okay, well. Lets get started then." Sniffing and wiping at her eyes she went on. "If you sit in the sink we can first get your tummy and arms washed up, okay?" She watched those eyes, those beautiful green eyes as they studied her. There was a quick glance towards Thor then they came back to rest on her face right before he gave another single nod. Annie couldn't stop the near painful grin that grew on her face.

Thor felt something in him uncoil that he hadn't known was even there. He had been able to get a response from Loki by forcing it from him. Annie had gotten two by, how? Being kind? Patient? Had his frightening Loki caused his brother to suddenly trust Annie? More than he trusted Thor? Did it matter? No, not at all. Thor reached out his hands to help lift Loki up from his seated position to over the sink where he could stand. He was careful, grasping Loki under his arms, no where near his hips. His Brother rested his hands on his arms and Thor felt a spike of warm devotion spread through him like a balm on his rough edges. While he knew the bitter sting of lost faith in Loki, he had forgotten that Loki had lost trust in him as well. That was a new thought for Thor and he pushed it aside for later.

Annie helped Loki sit cross-legged in the large sink after pulling Thor's cape away from the small body. Tossing the cape on the counter behind her, she scooted the bowl of soapy water closer to them. It was time to begin and she wanted to make sure both she and Thor did everything right this time.

"So I'm going to start washing you now, if you need me to stop you let me know. Okay?" She met Loki's eyes, he didn't nod his head this time but he also didn't return to his usual distant and apprehensive state. Rather he watched her hands as they moved to the bowl and gathered the wash cloth and brought it back over the sink.

Being careful with some of the still pink and tender scars, Annie washed carefully, repeatedly going back to the bowl to soak the cloth with soapy water. Loki let her gently pick up each arm and wash it, scrubbing at his hands, making sure to get between his fingers. She soaked his hands with the foamy soap and left it there to try to penetrate the dirt.

"I can't believe I let you eat with these fingers." Annie muttered as she leaned forward to drag the wash cloth around the back of Loki's shoulders. She washed below his hairline yet above the collar then below it. She didn't want to touch it. Letting out a sigh she stopped and stared at the collar. 

The endless snake body with no head or tail, with the barb inside. "Okay, any idea how we can wash under this without cutting him?"

"Let me." Thor reached out along the sides of Loki's neck and carefully grasped the metal between his fingers, "When it moves you can wash under it." Speaking firmly Thor gave a finger tap to the side of Loki's face, "Loki, be still, no matter what."

Loki's eyes shifted sideways and up for a look at Thor.

Annie frowned, "Wait, what are you going to do?"

"Make it move." 

"Well hold on a second." Annie quickly rinsed the wash cloth then squeezed it rapidly to get it foamy. She came back over, holding the cloth close to the collar, ready to go. "All right."

Small blue-white sparks popped from Thor's fingertips and the collar writhed like a real snakes body, only slower. Loki's eyes widened as a spark leapt past his nose.

"Whoa. Stop stop stop." Annie leaned back. "Sparks and water. And metal." Frowning fiercely at Thor, Annie looked back and forth between Thor, Loki and the collar. "We're not going to get electrocuted, are we?" 

The metal had gone back to being solid once Thor had stopped applying his magic to it and now he shook his head. "No. Though you seem to sorry about electrocution a great deal." He glanced at Annie while asking in a slightly hurt tone, "Do you not trust me, Lady Annie?" There was a good-humored twist to his smile along with a glimmer of mischief in his blue eyes.

Annie snorted her thoughts on that. "Considering I'm the only human out of the three of us, uh, no. No, I don't." Thor's face went into a pout and Annie gave another snort though this one had more humor in it. "But don't take it personal. I don't trust anyone making sparks around water and metal who tells me to go ahead and stick my hand in the middle. I'm the Goddess of Home Appliance Repair, remember? I know exactly what electricity can do."

Now it was Thor who scoffed with amusement, "I would never have you do something dangerous." He smirked as he spoke his next words, "Go ahead. Stick your hand under there." Thor once more sent the smallest tendril of his magic into the collar through his finger tips and the collar undulated while tiny sparks popped and flew.

She gave him a good-natured glare then carefully began to wash in the space that the collar had covered. There were small nicks that had scabbed over the skin that was just as dirty as the rest of Loki's body. Annie made sure she cleaned all the way around, Thor rotated the collar so he could move his large hands out of her way and she was able to clean Loki's neck thoroughly. Meanwhile Thor simply kept the little sparks coming while Loki did nothing more than swallow hard a few times, his fingers tightly knotted together.

"Okay. Finished." She leaned around Thor to drop the wash cloth in the bowl.

Thor released the collar, cutting off the miniscule amount of his magic flowing into it. It settled back around Loki's neck, resuming it solid form. Thor scowled at it, he hated the feel of his magic mixing with that of the AllFather's. The two were not of the same nature and always left Thor feeling slightly achy when they touched. Now, without awareness, he rubbed his hands together, pressing into his knuckles to push away the unwelcome feeling.

"You sure you can't get it off?" Annie folded her arms as she glared at the collar.

Thor's voice first conveyed his discouragement and regret. "I've tried, more than once, to no avail." His next words were edged with anger. "My magic isn't the kind that can manipulate the AllFather's. All I can do is disrupt it enough to move the collar slightly." He sighed in disappointment. "I never was encouraged to learn to do more than what came natural to me." He gave a soft chuckle at a memory. "The fact that I can control it to even this fine of a degree is only because of a wager between I and Loki."

Annie raised an eyebrow, "Another tale for another time?"

Thor's face went deep red and his eyes suddenly refused to look at Annie. "Uh, no. No." He shook his head. "No, most certainly not." He looked so embarrassed that Annie actually felt her eyes open wide in surprise.

"Really?" Annie drawled in a very curious voice while doing her best to bully Thor into looking at her. "That sounds like a very interesting tale. You sure you don't want to share it?" She tried wiggling her eyebrows but was sure she just looked demented. It didn't matter, Thor wouldn't look at her anyway.

"Most certain. Absolutely not." He shook his head. "I should not have even brought it up. Forgive me." His face had lost none of its color.

Annie knew if she opened her mouth she would burst into laughter so she just hummed, "Uh huh. Hmmm."

"More clean water?" Thor grabbed the bowl fast enough to slosh water over the edge. 

"Fine. Be that way." She huffed out a breath. "Yes, more water."

Thor headed towards the bathroom and Annie bit her bottom lip to try to silence her laughing but she knew he had to hear her. After a couple snorts she got herself under control and looked down at Loki. "That's okay, sounds like it wasn't a story for you anyway, huh little guy?"

Loki was looking down at his hands, his fingers running over his nails and through the foamy soap. He slowly rubbed around his thumb nail, the nailbed only half covered by a newly grown nail. There were faint white scars across the backs of both hands, some were lines that continued straight across from one finger to the next.

Annie reached out and took both hands in hers, her thumbs taking over from Loki's and lightly brushing against the backs of his hands. "You still okay?" There was an appeal in her voice, she wanted another nod or acknowledgment from Loki.

Loki raised his head to fully focus his eyes on her though he didn't move or give any sign of an answer. His head turned to watch Thor come back and set a fresh bowl of warm, soapy water on the counter.

Don't be greedy. He's just a little kid and you got two head nods out of him. So don't push him. Just give him space.

"Okay, lets get your back washed and then the only thing left will be washing your hair." Which Annie had no idea how she was going to do that, at least with no stress to Loki. She decided to leave Thor along as well, poor guy. God, poor god. Guy god. "Help me turn him around."

Thor made sure he lifted Loki under the arms while turning him, then setting him back down cross legged once more. He had to be careful just because there was no weight to Loki, it felt as though he could toss him with no effort. 

Here on Loki's back the wounds were deeper, the number greater with several bandages still in place. Annie used her fingernails to slowly pick a corner loose then tenderly pulled them from his skin. She tossed the soiled bandages in the trash, the wounds under them mostly pink and healing but obviously still fresh. 

Annie grabbed the wash cloth, soaped it up heavily then started at Loki's shoulders, letting the excess water run down. His shoulder blades were sharp, as though they were trying to cut and push through his skin. "How long will it take for all of these to heal to scars?" She ran the cloth over the protruding bones of Loki's spine.

Thor had folded his arms across his chest, watching Annie with a contemplative regard. He spoke slightly distracted, "He won't scar." The wounds had patterns to them, Thor remembered when they had been fresh.

Annie scoffed, "He's already scarred up. I just meant till the wounds heal?" She ran a finger softly over a particularly savage gouge, not wanting to think about what made it or who enjoyed doing it.

Thor brought his full attention to her words. "No, no." He gave a seemingly uncaring wave of a hand towards Loki, "All of these will disappear. Nothing that's been done to him will leave a lasting mark upon him."

Annie stopped washing Loki to stare at Thor with skepticism. "No way." She motioned to Loki's back. "You're saying that all of these scars will just disappear? That's impossible."

Thor gave a humorless twist to his lips, "Loki is a god. It takes a great deal to leave a scar upon a god." He shrugged in disinterest. "Though it can be done. But not from these." He pointed towards Loki. "These are nothing more than cuts, he and I both have had worse sparring. Though I will admit, not all at the same time."

Annie looked back down at Loki then slowly started to wash him again. She spoke in a preoccupied way as she carefully avoided pressing too hard on the tender wounds. "So all of this abuse, this torture that he was put through. It was-" She stopped speaking as she searched for the rest of her thought. "Just for the pain of the moment?"

Thor nodded. "Our father has commonly used physical punishment on Loki, since he was young. Though never to this degree. Never like this."

"So, like the, the rape-" Annie's voice went hard on that word as she spat it out, "The only point of it is to humiliate him."

Thor's eyebrow twitched. "Humiliate and punish. Loki committed crimes not just here but in other Realms as well. He hasn't even faced punishment for those crimes."

Annie shook her head. This all made no sense to her, if this was how Loki was raised no wonder he turned into a man who would try to take over a planet. "Why would your dad keep punishing him this way when it obviously isn't working as a deterrent or changing your Loki's behavior." 

Thor frowned and looked at Annie with a perplexed face, "Punishment isn't meant to change future behavior. It's meant to punish past behavior."

Once more Annie found herself just standing still staring at Thor with a mouth that was hanging open. She snapped it shut then moved past him to rinse out the wash cloth in the bowl, taking longer than she had previously. "I really don't understand your, world, your culture, Thor." Her voice was upset though it didn't reveal how deeply her feelings were in turmoil. She finally gathered up the wet cloth.

Thor looked at Annie with a considering expression. "Do you not punish a child who has broken a rule?"

"Not like this." Annie's voice was sharp as she pointed to Loki.

"No. But you do punish them, correct?"

Reluctantly Annie spoke. "Yes." She washed around the scars, pressing harder on the uninjured flesh but still aware of the fading bruises. She scrubbed at a few stubborn spots, not thinking about what they were, just breathing in the soothing lavender scent. She felt each rib under the cloth.

Thor nodded slowly. "And the punishment is not for a future transgression but the past one, yes?"

"Of course." Annie huffed. "Who would punish someone for something they haven't done?" She glanced at Thor then did a double take. "Thor?"

Thor's eyes assessed Annie in a penetrating gaze. His mouth twitched but the rest of his features didn't show a sign of humor. "Truly a tale for another time." He raised a hand and waved it as though erasing a thought, "The point is, this is physical punishment that Loki will recover from."

Annie didn't break away from staring at Thor. They were only feet from each other, she could reach out and touch him without fully extending her arm. She swallowed as her brain tried to take Thor's words and put them into a concept she could understand. Once she thought she had it she asked just to confirm. "So you're saying that this-" She pointed to Loki's back without looking away from Thor. "Is your dad's version of a spanking?"

The only sound was the sharp intake of breath that Thor involuntarily took as Annie's words hit home. He looked down at Loki, the healed wounds, scars and the still healing lashes and gave a bark of humorless laughter. He turned and walked away, ending up at the balcony doors, staring out of them with his arms folded across his chest.

After watching the back of the god for a long moment, Annie turned around to continue to wash Loki. She brought the wash cloth over Loki's back continuously until the flesh was clean and all of the untouched skin was the same pale color. She reached out and delicately picked up his hand and laid it in hers while she washed over Loki's fingers. She continued to gently run the cloth over them until she could only see clean skin. Setting Loki's hand back down, she picked the other one up and began doing the same.

When she was done she dropped the wash cloth into the bowl with a plop then came back to the sink where she leaned down to rest her folded arms on the edge. Her head was down on level with Loki's, her mouth near his ear. She stared ahead, uncertain what to say. Did she speak to what she and Thor had been talking about? Should they have even been talking about it in front of Loki? She thought it was important Loki hear someone defending him, saying that he didn't deserve what happened to him but without any type of feedback from him she wasn't sure. Maybe he shouldn't hear what his dad thought of him, but then again, didn't he already know what his dad thought of him? Every mark on him told Loki exactly what his dad felt.

Finally she broke the silence, "Lets get your hair washed and then we're done, yeah?"

Loki's head tilted away from her slightly while he turned his head to meet her eyes. He looked tired, as if his earlier expenditure of energy had drained him. His eyes were almost glazed. His hands had gone back to being folded together but they were loose, there was no tension in them.

Straightening up Annie turned to call to Thor and gave a startled squeak when she found him right next to her. "Damn! How do you move so quiet when you're so big?"

He gave a faint smile, "Practice."

"I guess." She shook her head then asked, "Will you empty the bowl and bring back just clean, warm water? We need to rinse him."

The god nodded and took the bowl with him as he walked out of the kitchen, thankful for the task. If all he ever did for Loki was carry whatever Annie needed then it would be enough. He wanted to feel useful. He needed to be useful, it was his only purpose here. He certainly hadn't been able to be of use to Loki before.

Annie took a breath, she could do this. She grabbed the towels from the counter and folded them up then loosely rolled them, setting them on the edge of the sink. Thor came back with the bowl and sat it on the counter.

"Okay, little buddy. You're going to stand up and we're going to rinse you off, okay?" She and Thor both held out their hands and steadied him as he stood, Annie made sure he was still facing the kitchen wall. Taking one of the larger cups she scooped out some of the water, gave Thor a raised eyebrow that was asking if he was ready. At his nod she carefully poured some of the water on Loki's feet. "How's that? Nice and warm?"

He looked down and watched, his toes wiggling the only reaction. "Good job. Let's rinse off some more." Annie poured a little more water on the backs of his legs, waiting for a sign of discomfort but there was only more toe wiggling. "Excellent." 

Little by little Annie was able to fully rinse all signs of any soapy, dirty water off of Loki. It took Thor another trip to the bathroom but there was no sign of distress from Loki at all as Annie carefully turned the boy around in a circle as she painstakingly rinsed him. Making sure that his front was rinsed by pouring the water from behind him and over his shoulders, Loki never had the feeling that water was coming down on him.

Once he was rinsed Annie dried Loki off then wrapped him snuggly in Thor's cape, only his now clean feet peeping out the bottom. She sat him on the kitchen counter with a big exhale. "Okay, ready? Last job and then you're all done and so are we. Whoo." She gave him a grin that she hoped didn't look too forced. "So, lets get your hair all clean."

Annie quickly explained the plan to Thor as she had him help her move Loki and in no time they had the boy laying on his back along the kitchen counter, his neck resting on the roll of towels to protect it from the edge of the sink. This put his head slightly tilted into the sink. The towels that had been at the bottom had been picked up and wrung out by Thor, Annie was impressed by the fact that there was probably no water left in either towel. However she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to separate the two by unwinding them or if they were now forever stuck together.

More towels. Absolutely more towels.

Using one hand, Thor settled a hand towel tightly around Loki's forehead, no water would touch his face. The edges of the towel hung down over his ears, hopefully to protect them from getting wet. Thor's other hand was kept free to be available if Annie needed him. Thor found himself staring down into Loki's eyes and though there was exhaustion in them, he felt a charge of happiness when he recognized the look of trust in Loki's eyes. It was a start to regaining his Brother back and he would grab onto it with both hands. "You can close your eyes, Brother. I've got you." Loki's eyes fluttered but didn't completely close.

Annie turned the neck of the tall sink faucet so that it wouldn't be in Loki's line of sight at all. As if she were sneaking past a sleeping cat, she slowly turned the hot water on to just a dribble, then did the same to the cold. She tested the water temperature on one arm while reaching for the nozzle. There wasn't enough water pressure for the water to spray out, it was the same drizzling amount. "Okay buddy, I'm going to start to wash your hair now." Annie figured that was enough warning for Loki, she didn't want to give him enough information to get anxious, just enough to not be surprised.

Pulling the hose over she let the water fall into her cupped hand then onto Loki's head. Both she and Thor watched as his eyebrows went up as though he were trying to open his eyes fully but they remained half closed. Annie made sure to move the hose all over his head, trying to soak the spikey strands. She watched as the water began to run into the sink, dirty brown water going down the drain. Continuing to let the water run on his scalp she rubbed at the hair. Even though it was short there were still areas that were matted against his scalp.

Finally she grabbed the shampoo bottle and squeezed out a good sized amount and ran it through her hands to warm it. Starting at the top of his scalp, she began washing. It took three washes to get his hair clean. The first wash never got the shampoo to foam, Loki's hair was too dirty. After realizing the soap had cleaned as much as it could and was too dirty to penetrate the hair any more, she rinsed it all off. The second wash was better, the soap foamed up and cleaned Loki's hair and scalp and was filthy when rinsed off. The third wash was the charm, the soap instantly foamed, and was white when it was rinsed from his head. Stepping back from the sink, Annie was thankful that it was a shampoo and conditioner combo so she wouldn't have to do everything again.

"All done!" She called out then helped Thor sit Loki up. Using the hand towel she made sure to push it backwards through his hair to keep any water from running onto his face. It only took a few passes over his head to soak up all the drops of water and suddenly Loki was sitting there, clean.

Well, almost. Annie grabbed a clean wash cloth, wet it with warm water and wrung it tightly . "Just one more thing." With the wash cloth held up where Loki could see it Annie asked, "Can I wash your face?"

Loki looked from the cloth to Annie then back to the cloth. He seemed too tired to answer. Annie brought it up to Loki's face from below rather than from in front of his face. When it touched his neck she ran it gently around his jaw, going back to behind his ear on one side then slowly over to behind his other ear. Carefully she went over his sharp cheekbone and down to his pointed chin. She watched his eyes, they were locked in on hers. By the time she was done washing his face Annie had to sniffle a couple tears back but she did it with a wobbly smile. "There, all done." She stepped to the side to get herself under control and used cleaning up as an excuse.

Damn. How many times are you gonna get all weepy over giving a kid a bath, girl? Get it together! Annie watched Thor settle his cape around Loki who looked like he was already asleep, his head against Thor. 

Thor had been waiting for this moment since the very point in time he had first understood Loki's condition. It hadn't been those seconds of hurried whispers or even that vividly remembered point in time when instead of his seeing his Brother being helped out between the rocks, a rough sack had been thrust into his arms and he had been pushed away. The shock of feeling the form of a small body through the material would never leave him. Nor would the feelings of repulsion and pure disbelief at finally opening the tightly tied bundle only to have the body of a filthy beast exposed to him. 

Loki had been revealed to be something Thor had never imagined could exist within his world. A body nearly skeletal, hair twisted with knots and filth. So much filth. Thor's stomach had heaved as he identified by sight and stench much of the matter that caked Loki's entire body in a second skin. 

The wounds on the tiny body freely bled, freshly made, they had been inflicted just before Loki had been aggressively dropped into the sack. The blood had mixed with the rest to form a foul smelling sludge that smeared everything and everywhere.

A desperate rinsing in a cold, swift flowing stream had sluiced most of the lose detritus from the unconscious body. Thor's massive hands had at times hovered over Loki simply because he didn't know what to do. Until finally he steadied his resolve, forcing his scattered thoughts into order much as he did when coming down from the berserker haze that overtook him sometimes in battle. Though his hands shook worse than after days of battle and nights of drink, he was gentle as he held the body as he washed it. He was able to remove most of the foul signs of Loki's misuse and debasement, his torture and abuse along with neglect of basic needs as a living being. Thor tried his best to wash all this away from the body of the second Heir of Asgard but failed. He finally was forced to leave a Prince of Asgard in the filth of Asgard's deepest dungeon. Another failure.

Thor inhaled the scent of lavender. He had his arms around Loki, his Brother's head was resting against him and Thor again breathed in the scent of clean. Healthy. Healing. Safe. It was nothing for him to enfold the still slight weight of Loki in his arms, carefully picking him up. When he spoke his voice was a low rumble, a god who was finally in a moment of peace. "Come Brother. Let's find you something to wear." As they walked past Annie, Thor reached out with one huge arm and pulled her into a fiercely tight side hug, then whispered to her, "Thank you, Lady Annie. From both of us, thank you."

Annie watched as both brothers disappeared into their room and she let out a shaky huff. "You're welcome."


	34. Wal-Mart People

A small closet had been converted into a tiny laundry room with a stacked washer and dryer. It was near the kitchen which made it easy for Annie to bring them over to get them going in a load. She left the door open because she didn't always hear the buzzer with the door closed then started on cleaning the kitchen. She was doing a quick wipe down of the counters when Thor came back out of their room, Loki in his arms, wrapped in the red cape.

He laid the boy on the couch so that Loki could see into the kitchen, resting his head on a decorative pillow. There was affection in Thor's actions as he made sure the cape was settled around his Brother, tucking it snuggly around Loki's shoulders and his feet, leaving nothing but his head poking out. When Thor walked away Loki's eyes were already closed.

Annie smiled at the sight, "Looks like someone is ready for a nap." She watched as Thor stretched, his arms straining upwards while his back arched. He looked much taller than his nearly seven feet of bulky muscle. Much more. Holy. Cow. With a side of ribs. His shirt pulled up and exposed his ribs, which looked-. Damn. Just. Damn.

Annie jerked her head away from facing Thor. No. No. No. Bad Hostess. Bad. Bad. She really hoped he hadn't said anything to her in answer because she hadn't heard anything but her own internal monolog which, true, was only several low level vocabulary words but still, she hadn't been paying attention at all if he'd been talking to-

A hand waved in front of Annie's face and Thor's head leaned in front of her line of sight. "Lady Annie?" He wore a bemused smile.

"Huh? Yes! Yeah?" Annie felt her face flush. She really needed to get over the fact that she had a really good looking god as a room mate.

"I was asking what our next plans were." If there was a slight knowing smirk on his face Annie didn't notice because she was refusing to look at him.

"Ohh, yeah. Well-" Annie glanced at the clock on the microwave. Ten-forty? How could it only be ten-forty in the morning? It seemed like it had taken hours and hours to get Loki bathed and here was proof that it hadn't taken nearly as long as it had felt. The stress and anxiety had just made it seem so. Annie took a chance to peek at Thor and was surprised to see that he looked exhausted. She turned to face him fully so she could study him. It was as if his body had finally relaxed now that Loki had his basic needs met, and was telling him that his own needs hadn't been met in quite a while.

Annie made up her mind as she was speaking. "Well, I was thinking about doing some quick shopping for some basics. While I'm gone you can take a nap yourself and I'll bring us back lunch."

Thor seemed about to say something then let his eyes roam over to Loki. He nodded, "Very well, if you're sure?" 

Annie waved her hand at him, "Don't worry about it. Wal-Marts not far, I'll be back before you wake up." She headed towards her room to grab her wallet and phone along with a coat. She laced up heavier waterproof shoes along with grabbing gloves and a beanie hat. Back out in the main room of the apartment she looked at Thor who was sitting on the couch looking down at Loki.

He glanced up at Annie then back down at Loki. "I feel he finally has a chance."

Annie stood at the end of the couch watching the brothers. "He's getting there. Next is getting him to drink and eat more. And just getting him to come out of his shell." Thor looked up at her with a frown and Annie spoke before he could. "That means getting him to feel comfortable enough to start acting like a kid again. Like a young boy should."

Thor raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm, perhaps not too much like his old self though. Loki as a young boy was -" Thor gave a wry smile, "A challenge." 

Annie grinned, "Oh? You say that like you weren't a handful yourself which I now know isn't true. Mister Elf tart thief." 

Thor's smirk was just a twitch of his lips but his voice held humor, "Oh yes. Our poor mother with two of us." Thor's eyes rested on Loki. 

"Well I'm looking forward to him turning into a kid again. No matter what kind." Annie headed to the front door and grabbed her set of keys from a wall key hook. "Okay, I'm off, enjoy your nap." She pulled her hat and gloves on. "Just don't answer the door, okay?"

Thor nodded, "Do not answer the door," He sent another crooked smile in her direction.

Annie was out the door and pulling it shut behind her in seconds. The air was crisp, in the shade it would be cold though in the weak sun it was still nice. Once down the stairs she went around them and to a storage room where she unlocked the heavy duty deadbolt on a solid door. Inside the small space were few items, she pulled a garden wagon made from a heavy duty canvas stretched over a metal frame from inside. Locking up, she pulled the wagon behind her, through the parking lot and out onto the sidewalk.

Taking in a huge breath of the crisp air and holding it in her lungs she found herself coughing as the sudden chill caused a spasm in her lungs. It took nearly half the block before she recovered, each breath she took seemed to set her off again. "Yeah, don't do that again." She swallowed before huffing deeply while roughly patting her chest. "Whoo."

She paused at each corner, followed the traffic rules and happily walked across Main Street that was a thriving down town. The buildings were a mix of wood and brick while the sidewalks had trees and plants. The Wal-Mart was several more blocks past this area, it's big blue sign high above the rest of the other stores and residences that were mixed together in the neighborhood. 

Along the way she passed by eclectic smaller stores in the downtown area, from hair salons to dollar stores, name brand drug stores and no name grocery stores hardly big enough for more than a couple aisles. Some were familiar to her, places she regularly shopped, while other stores she'd never noticed.

As she walked she thought about these past couple days, they had her head ready to float away. There wasn't anything new to think about, just the same disbelief that she was walking to Wal Mart to buy groceries for Thor, yeah, that Thor. And that god's little brother who had invaded earth two years ago but then was imprisoned and turned into a little kid. Who was taking a nap on her couch and was in need of Pull-Ups.

A car horn honked and Annie jerked out of her thoughts to realize she was standing on the corner still waiting for the light to change. She waved at the driver who had decided to wake her up and crossed the street, her wagon following behind.

By the time Annie arrived at those double doors she was ready to get inside and warm her cheeks up. Passing through them she met the greeter.

"Hello! Welcome to Wal Mart!" An older gentleman in his blue vest that was covered in various pins called out as she and several others walked past.

Annie was the only one to acknowledge him by looking at him and smiling. "Hello to you too." 

"Have a great day!" he called out after her and waited for the next customer to enter the store.

Pulling her hat and gloves off she tossed them into the wagon with her stack of reusable grocery bags and headed off to the side out of the way.

Reaching into her jean pocket she felt nothing then reached into the other. Nothing. "Come on." Muttering she checked her coat pockets, she had her phone, keys and her wallet, she even looked inside the wallet. There was the stack of money Thor had given her, less the one hundred dollars for the pizza. "You have got to be kidding me." She searched her pockets again in case the grocery list had magically appeared in one of them, because, well, she had two gods in her house so it could happen.

"Arrgh!" She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. When she opened her eyes she was staring at the ceiling, the pipes and lights far above her head. Taking a deep, huffy breath she yanked her wagon behind her and went for it. "I can not believe you forgot the list. The list that you spent all that time making." Muttering she shook her head.

Walking through the fruits and vegetables Annie compared the prices as she went up and down each row. Coming to the apples she stopped and grabbed her own produce bags from the pile of bags in her wagon then stood studying the apples and prices. Still talking under her breath she hadn't lost her irritation. "Just left it at home. Probably still on the counter where you wrote it out." Shaking her head she picked out four Golden Delicious and slipped them in the netted bag and closed it before she set it to the back of the wagon. "Ha, well I didn't see you thinking about it either."

Staring at the banana's she caught the eye of a lady on the other side of the bins who was giving her a raised eyebrow. "Ignore me." Annie said dismissively, "I forgot my grocery list at home and I know I'm going to forget something important."

"I never even bother. Whatever catches my attention is what I get." The woman wore her short hair in tiny pig-tails and was dressed in a red trench coat. She grabbed a couple grapes from a bunch and popped them in her mouth then continued on.

Annie stared after her then grumbled under her breath, "Thief. You can't just be grazing in Wal Mart like some random cow." 

Ten minutes later she was heading for the bakery department, carrots, celery, broccoli and a bag of stir fry veggies in the wagon. A five pound bag of potatoes lay strategically across the strongest part of the wagon frame. A bunch of banana's sat on top of it trying not to get squished.

She grabbed several loafs of fresh baked French bread from the rolling rack, standing them up in the back of the wagon. "These for sure." She frowned while studying the choices on the shelves. "Now, if I were from a different world, what kind of bread would I be used to eating?" She left her wagon out of the way and walked the rows of bread stuffs. So many choices, soft and fluffy? Whole grain full of seeds? Pita? Naan? Rye? She walked back and forth, "I have no idea." Several people came and went and she was no closer to making a decision and was starting to panic. "Just pick one. Pick one." She reached out then stopped, frozen. "This is insane. I can't just pick random foods. I should have asked more details."

She stopped pacing and found herself next to a shopping cart. The woman pushing it walked away, doing her own shopping for bread. Left in the cart was a boy of about three who stared at Annie with big brown eyes while sucking on his thumb. Annie gave him a smile with a casual head nod. "Sup?" 

The boy sucked on his thumb a few times, his eyes never moving from Annie.

"Hey," She asked him. "If you were an alien, what bread would you want to eat?"

The boy continued eye contact for a moment then pointed with a stubby finger on the hand not in his mouth.

Annie looked where he was pointing then slowly nodded. "Ah yes, the obvious choice. I should have seen it myself." She reached for the big box of Twinkies. "Thanks for your help." She put them in her wagon and headed to the meat department. 

Thinking of how Thor pretty much ate three and a half pizza's himself Annie quickly picked out three pot roasts, four chickens and several large trays of ground beef. For this she didn't even bother looking at the price, there was no point. "This should last the weekend. I'm going to need to get my cook book out."

"Off to the dairy department." Annie yanked on the handle of the wagon, lugging it behind her. "Uhg, should have left the potatoes till the end." She stopped in front of the yogurt and stared. "Good lord." She muttered, her eyes roving over all the choices. And not just the flavors. "Plant based?" Annie read the label of one. "Pro-biotics? Huh, that's sounds good for you. But which one?" She leaned forward to study the row. Finally she shook her head. "Kids. What ever is made for kids." That narrowed her choices but still she had too many. "Okay, strawberry and peach and blueberry. Those could grow on another world, right?" She grabbed a couple of each then saw that there were drinkable yogurts too. And kinds she could freeze. "Oh. My. God. How do people pick?"

"I know, right?" A mans voice came from over her shoulder, friendly and sympathetic.

Annie turned and found herself looking at a man with short brown hair and glasses. He smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back, he seemed nice. "It's just yogurt."

He chuckled. "Oh no, don't say that. My kids are visiting this weekend and if I get the wrong kind, I'll never hear the end of it." He shook his head. "But that's only if their favorite hasn't changed since the last time I saw them, which could have happened."

"Well I hope you get the right kind and have a yogurt stress free weekend." Annie turned back to grab a couple drinkable bottles and looked at the labels.

There was the sound of him clearing his throat then he asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Umm, something healthy, calories." Annie shrugged in defeat. "I can't stand here reading all of these to find what I want."

"Here," He reached past her to pull a package off a higher shelf. "It's a little more expensive but its advertised as a supplement, added vitamins and stuff."

Annie took the package from him, "Thanks. I'll give it a try." She set all of her choices in the wagon and grabbed the handle. "Thanks for your help." 

"You're welcome." He looked like he was going to say something else but Annie was already moving down to the milk.

Here she was met with the same dilemma. "Whole milk? Two percent? Almond?" Finally she just reached in. "Screw it. Whole milk. Who knows if they even have cows on their planet." She turned to put the two gallons of milk in her wagon only to come face to face with a woman who was looking at her with concern that was mixed with pity. She had obviously overheard Annie's ramblings. Annie couldn't care less what the woman's opinion of her was. "Sorry, private conversation." Putting them in her wagon she continued on with her shopping.

She restocked her pantry, two giant boxes of pancake mix, syrup, then back to the dairy section to get several pounds of butter. Loading the wagon with various canned vegetables she looked at her potatoes and thought about baked potatoes which made her think about sour cream and bacon so she went back to the dairy section for a huge tub of sour scream then back to the meat department for bacon.

How could I forget bacon?" She muttered as she stuffed five packs along the side and made sure to pull her shopping bags, hat and gloves to the top. "Probably because you don't have your grocery list, dummy." She grumbled under her breath. "Oh, cheese, gotta have cheese." 

Next she stopped in the frozen food aisle, grabbing a couple big bags of frozen French fries. "Lunch, perfect for lunch."

She headed towards the health food aisle, walking down it slowly but didn't see anything that she would get for a child. Standing in front of large bottles filled with various kinds of powder was a man. Annie thought he looked in shape, obviously not as good as Thor's shape but still, not bad for a Midgardian. Annie grinned lazily with a slightly glazed expression. Of course not many men could compare to Thor, not to mention he was just so nice. And he smelled good too.

"Hey there. Like what you see?"

Annie's eyes focused on the man who was looking back at her with what she would describe as a smug leer. His too practiced smooth delivery sounded pretty creepy. Annie snorted with a laugh, "You wouldn't ask if you could see what's sleeping on my couch." Pulling her wagon she continued down the aisle, she'd skip the health food aisle this time. Who knew what it all was.

Feeling slightly better looking at the baby food Annie studied the jars, bags and boxes. It only took her a short amount of time to decide to just go to an expert and she stopped next to a woman with a baby and two toddlers in her cart. The baby was in a car seat sitting in the large basket, items piled around it, a maybe four year old dropping items on the baby while a maybe two year old sat in the carts child seat. Annie noticed the safety belt was tightly latched which the child was trying to undo.

"Um, excuse me?"

The woman turned while grabbing a box from the four year old before he could drop it on the baby, putting it on a random shelf, "Yeah?" She sounded like she had been running.

"Could you help me? I'm looking for something healthy out of all of this. That can be eaten with fingers."

The woman rolled her eyes, "Honey, everything can be eaten with fingers." And she pushed her cart down the aisle while grabbing more items from it and setting them on the shelves as she went.

Annie looked surprised. "Well okay and thank you very much."

A familiar voice spoke behind her, "Long time no see."

Annie turned to see the man from the dairy section. "The yogurt man." She grinned.

He shook his head, "Oh no, is that all I am to you?" He smiled back at her, "Still struggling?"

"Yeah, trying to find something healthy. Healthy and easy to eat. Finger food I guess." Annie studied boxes of dry cereal, containers of dehydrated cheese balls and packs of freeze dried fruit. She picked up the last item and studied it. Real fruit, several servings all in a package that felt light as air. She grabbed a couple different ones, banana, mixed berries, strawberries and dropped them in the wagon. It all sounded good.

"Those are good, my kids like 'em." The voice was back. 

"Yeah?" Annie looked up to meet his smiling face, it was open and friendly. 

"I guess they turn back into fruit as you chew them." He nodded and pointed to another item. "These are pretty good too, the dehydrated fruit. Chewy which keeps them from eating them all in one bite."

"Hmmm," Annie thought about Loki eating something like dried fruit, would it be too much? She picked out an apricot one and set it in her wagon, she'd give it a try. Moving a little farther down the aisle she decided to grab a couple containers of a drink mix, why not.

"So how many do you have?"

Annie looked up, the man was still there. "What?"

"Kids. How many?"

"Oh, uh, one. Just one." Annie wasn't sure how to describe Loki's relationship to her then figured it wasn't any ones business anyway. This guy was nice but, she mentally shrugged, she wasn't going to stand in Wal Mart explaining she had a kid trying to recover from having his mouth sewn shut.

"How old?"

Annie kept the deer in the headlight expression from her face. "Five." It seemed like a good number, she forgot again to ask Thor how old Loki was.

"Ah, that's a great age. I-"

"Dave?" A woman's voice called out and Annie turned towards it, so did the man.

Coming up the aisle was a woman who looked like she had a tough day and it wasn't noon. She was about Annie's age, dressed in low riding sweat pants and a zip up hoodie over a tank top. Her hair didn't look like she'd done more than run her hands through it but what caught Annie's attention were the four kids she had with her. One on each hip, probably a one year old and a three year old while two other kids bounced around her as they all came forwards. The kids were half dressed in PJs and sweaters, the walking ones in slippers, the two being carried were in socks.

"You said you weren't going to take long." The woman's eyes glared at Annie then back to the man.

"I told you to wait in the car." The man suddenly didn't sound quite as nice.

"It's cold and your kids were driving me crazy." She was not a happy camper.

Annie raised her eyebrows as she decided she wanted no part of this conversation. She gave "Dave" a rather pointed look, he had been flirting with her while his kids were in the car with - who? His girlfriend? Pulling her wagon behind her she decided that it was time to move on to the cereal. She could hear the sound of arguing as she went.

For cereal she grabbed two of the family sized boxes of honeynut Cheerios, then one of the plain just in case Loki decided he liked those better. She grabbed a couple boxes of her other favorites as well, Thor could eat a box or two for a snack. 

She couldn't think of any other food on her grocery list though she was pretty sure she had written other items down. She figured she be back later anyway so she didn't worry about it since she had the important items.

Once she finished with the food part of her shopping, it was heavy enough that she was leaning forward as she hauled it towards the kids clothes. There she carefully turned at a row of boys clothes, found a small clear space to park the wagon and started looking.

Trying to imagine Loki's size, she found some packs of t-shirts and grabbed a couple. She wasn't sure exactly what she should buy Loki, he needed PJ's but spent the rest of his time wrapped in Thor's cape. She figured the basics, some t-shirts, underwear, socks and the PJ's for now. Maybe a couple pairs of sweat pants.

It was just after she had passed by a display of underwear that she turned at the end of the aisle and stopped. Her mouth dropped open until she closed it only to open it again to say, "Oh. My. God." Swallowing spit so she didn't drool again, her words gave away her feeling of being awestruck. "Holy. Avengers."

In front of her was an entire section that was devoted to the Avengers. Overwhelmingly Avengers clothing merchandise. Every rack. Every shelf. And all around the racks were cut out displays. Iron Man flying hung from overhead. The Hulk appeared to be bursting out from a cardboard brick wall that was actually attached to the wall. Captain America was standing with his shield on his arm while staring heroically into the distance as he gave a crisply perfect salute. 

And there, there in all his life size muscle mass was Thor. Dressed in cardboard leather and metal, arms bulging, golden locks flowing about his face and topped by a silver winged helmet on his head. His red cape flowing out and back from him, he was in a semi-crouched position as cardboard lightening hung from the ceiling on clear plastic strings. His hammer was thrust into the air above his head and more cardboard lighting was attached to it. Annie just stared.

There was a female giggle near her and a voice saying, "I'd ride his lightening anytime."

Any turned her head to see a group of young girls standing next to her. The girl who spoke looked barely in her teens and Annie raised an eyebrow. "How old are you?" They were walking past towards the clothes.

The teen giggled as she called out, "Old enough to wanna see his hammer." The group of girls whispered and giggled again while picking up shirts and holding them up to themselves. A few were even tiny enough that they could actually fit in the larger sized ones. 

Annie opened her mouth to make a reply then shook her head. "No. Nope, not gonna go there." She ignored the girls as she walked forward while just taking it all in.

T-shirts, pants, shoes, socks, underwear, pajamas, hats, belts and a half dozen other things. Annie found herself looking at the Thor items with a goofy grin. "Oh yeah, I gotta do this." She went to the smaller sizes and found several pairs of thick flannel PJs with Thor on them, one in red and one in blue, both had Thor and his hammer and lightening. Next came several pairs of fuzzy socks, a sweat shirt with just a big picture of Thor's grinning face and a pack of t shirts. Two pairs of sweat pants with lightening down the sides. A knitted cap with a big pom-pom ball on the top in red with glittery silver strands. And two pairs of slippers, one was just the hammer head and the other was red with silver lightening bolts on the side. Her arms full, Annie made her way back to her wagon where she laid everything over the top of the food items. 

The same teens came by, and the bold one glanced at Annie's choices, "Looks like I'm not the only one with a thing for big hammers."

Annie found herself putting her hands on her hips, feeling like a total mom. "Where is. Your. Mother?" She felt like an old lady but, really? These were little girls! Good Lord! Who is raising these kids today? I can not Believe them. The girls squealed and squawked as they quickly disappeared, though Annie was sure she knew which one called her a bitch as they all scattered.

She could have picked out so much more but she knew she was going to have to drag this wagon home and her nightmare was a wheel falling off or the whole thing collapsing on the sidewalk. Or even worse- in the crosswalk.

"I can not believe kids these days." She was muttering again, this time while shaking her head as she struggled to get the wagon around a tight corner. "Can't believe it." Pulling the wagon through closely placed clothes racks to stopped at the end of an aisle and found what she was looking for in the baby and toddler section. 

Looking over sippy cups she grabbed a two pack, one cup was red the other blue. "This should work." Looking at it she thought about Loki drinking from it. "Or should I do one with a straw? Do they have straws in Asgard?" Shaking her head she grabbed a cup with a built in straw. "Forget it. Just get 'em both."

Pulling the loaded wagon towards the front of the store, Annie detoured to the rolling cabinet where the rotisserie chickens were kept. She took the large, insulated grocery bag out that was designed to keep items hot or cold and carefully set four chickens inside. Slinging the bag over her shoulder she yanked her wagon behind her as she went to the check out line.

Slowly she waited her turn, shuffling closer and closer until she was near enough to be tempted by the candy. She remembered the box of Twinkies and distracted herself by scanning the gossip magazine headlines. Most were about celebrities, but a couple caught her attention. One was a cover dedicated to Tony Stark, he was dressed in a white suit and sunglasses while his arm was slung around the waist of a woman dressed in a short black dress and red stiletto heels. The photo was taken at night, it looked like with a telephoto lens since it wasn't the best quality but the woman had short red hair which the headlines were screaming proved she wasn't Pepper Potts. Tony Stark had been caught cheating and his empire had been lost in a secret prenup agreement. 

The woman ahead of her in line spoke up, "I heard he's a totally asshole in real life."

Annie looked to the woman, she was dressed in a skirt that looked like she was ready to go square dancing with a hoodie. She had fuzzy slippers on with fishnet stockings. Annie raised her eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I have a friend who knows someone who works in a club he went to once. Brought a whole bunch of people with him then spent the night being an asshole to everyone."

The woman behind Annie spoke up, "He might be an asshole but I know he donates a lot of money to charity." Annie looked to this woman, she was dressed in ripped jeans, a leather jacket over a tank top and combat boots. "So he can be whatever he wants as far as I'm concerned." 

The first woman rolled her eyes and turned around.

"Hmmm, interesting." Annie read the next headline proclaiming that Loki was once more planning to invade earth and the Avengers were in on it. That the attack on New York had been a trial run, now the real invasion was going to start. "Well, that's not going to happen." She snorted a snicker then said under her breath, "All invasions are now canceled due to bedtime." She laughed silently while glancing at the two women but they seemed to not hear her.

Another magazine had a rather hefty baby on it's cover that looked like it had been hastily covered in green food coloring. The words across it proclaimed, 'I had Hulks secret love child.' Annie's face scrunched up, "How would that even work?"

Finally she moved up enough to begin placing everything on the conveyer belt. As the clerk began ringing her up Annie called out, "I've got my own bags." 

It took much longer than she was used to but eventually everything was rung up, bagged and the wagon was reloaded. She'd had to go ahead and purchase a couple plastic bags, she sighed at that. Normally her own bags were more than enough to hold her groceries.

Now came the moment to pay. Annie pulled out her wallet and counted off the hundred dollar bills, they were crisp and she made sure they didn't stick. Handing over the money was weird. Chuckling nervously Annie said, "I don't think I can remember the last time I spent this much money at one time."

The clerk gave her a generic smile, "Someone likes the Avengers." The woman counted the money and started working on getting the change. "Especially Thor." 

"Yeah, it's going to be interesting when I get them home." Annie couldn't help but chuckle to herself. "Can't wait to see their faces."

Taking her change Annie put it away carefully with the receipt wrapped around it. Do not loose this. Annie knew she needed to keep track of Thor's money, he certainly didn't seem to be doing it. 

Pulling on her hat and gloves against the chill, she was back out on the sidewalk heading for home in minutes. The wagon was full and heavy which slowed her down but she kept a steady pace, taking the same route back home. Along the way she found herself paying more attention to the stores she went past.

Most she had never done more than glanced at, she didn't have the money to spend or the need to go inside. However now she noticed each one that might have something of interest. Across the street from her she saw a health food store and made a note of it, she would be checking that one out on her next trip.

By the time she returned back to the apartment she had been gone close to two hours and was seriously ready for lunch. At the bottom of her stairs she grabbed the bag carrying the chickens, and a couple other food bags and headed up, leaving the wagon. She got the door open with the keys and stepped through, her gaze instantly going to the couch. A crooked smile came over her face. The boys were asleep.

Thor was laying the length of the couch, his head resting on a pile of pillows while Loki was on top of him, still bundled up in the cape. One of Thor's massive arms was resting on top of Loki, probably to keep the boy from falling off while the other of Thor's arms was thrown above his head, hanging off the arm of the couch. 

Setting the bags on the counter Annie turned to go back out again when Thor stretched and woke. He turned his head slightly and when he saw Annie he raised up his hand in a wave. Carefully sliding Loki off his chest and on to the couch without waking the sleeping boy, Thor stood and again stretched, this time his arms going up nearly to the ceiling.

Wow, more ribs. Annie watched as Thor's shirt rose, revealing an abdomen that was a true six pack. Stop. No looking at ribs, bad, bad. Huh, I should have gotten some ribs for this weekend.

"How was your nap?" Annie shook herself mentally.

"Very good. Enough to refresh me." Thor gave Annie a still sleepy smile, "Do you have more items to bring up?" He gave a lazy point to the bags on the counter.

"Um, yeah. There's a wagon downstairs." She followed him to the door then stopped after he had gone through and glanced down.

Holding out a hand to stop Annie from following him, Thor stated, "I will bring them up. You can remain inside."

"Okay, then I'll get started on lunch, hope you like roast chicken." 

"Yes, I do. I'll be right back up." His footsteps faded as he quickly went down the wooden steps.

Annie was unloading the bags when Thor returned. He was carrying the entire wagon in his arms, he used his foot to close the door behind him before coming over to Annie. "Where would you like your little wagon?"

Annie was staring with an impressed expression. "Wow, the whole thing, huh." She pointed to the floor, "Just there is fine."

After setting the wagon down Thor peeked inside one bag. He saw items that appeared to be clothes and asked, "You found items for Loki to wear?"

Nodding Annie grinned while continuing to arrange lunch. "Just wait till you see what I got him."

"You sound pleased."

The grin just grew on Annie's face and she chuckled loudly, "Oh, you have no idea."


	35. Illusion and Mist

Frigga's bitter furor led her to the stables where she took her favorite mare out for a bruising ride across the open land. At near breakneck speeds, she rode because she needed to clear away the sourness of her anger, the choking ire that was clouding her thoughts. Giving the mare free rein, the horse flew, sending great chunks of dirt high into the air behind them. Frigga finally brought the mare to a walk down the Rainbow Bridge to the Observatory, where Heimdall stood, eyes gazing outward in his eternal watch. 

If the time at a gallop was used to clear her mind, then the time walking down the bridge was used to plan and plot. To scheme in a way she had not had to since she was a young woman fighting the Great War. But this time instead of standing by Odin's side, she would be facing him. 

Leaving the mare to stand obediently waiting outside the Observatory, Frigga gracefully strode inside. She had come to the Watcher several times when Loki had escaped from the dungeons, he had been unable to pinpoint Loki but knew he had been on Asgard. Until suddenly he was gone. Vanished. For a week, until he had been sensed on Midgard. However as Midgard was the largest of the Realms, he could be anywhere.

"AllMother." The giant god's deep voice filled the Observatory, sounding off it's walls before dissipating out into the silence of space. He spoke without turning to face her, of course he saw that it was her.

"Guardian." She continued forward to come to a stop beside him, staring in the same direction as he did. Standing with her hands joined tightly in front of her, the breathtaking beauty of untold universes were before her but she saw nothing except the coldness of space. Each time she came here her mind always thought to Loki falling through that coldness, that nothingness. Not dying but living in nothing. What would that do to a mind as brilliant as his? To fall for an infinity of time. "You can still sense Loki?"

Heimdall felt no resentment when Frigga asked the same question that she always asked. Asked even though she knew the answer. "Yes. He still wears the charm he made for his brother. It hides him, though not perfectly." He answered her question the same as he always did. It was a ritual they had created. She took comfort from it, he would not deny a mother her comfort.

"He was a child when he cast it. Something to aid in his and Thor's adventures." There was a note of pride in her voice.

Heimdall spoke dryly, "I remember those adventures, the end usually came with a visit to the healers. Or the AllFather."

"Or both." Frigga's slightly upturned lips slowly came down as the smile faded. In silence they stood, the fingers on one hand pinching at a sliver of skin on the other. Keeping her tone remote, she asked, "Did you see what Odin did to him? In the dungeon?" 

"I did."

Frigga nodded as she let the cold seep into her, it was a different cold than snow or cold from the weather. The cold of space was deeper some how. It settled into one's bones differently. She wondered if Loki's bones had ever warmed or if they remained cold. She doubted they had warmed. When would that have happened? He had received not one single kind touch since being brought back to Asgard. He would be freezing cold inside. Unless his hatred warmed him.

"Why did you not reveal it to me?" There was disappointed curiosity in her question.

The Guardian spoke the truth. "Because you could not have stopped it nor changed it."

Frigga turned her upper body to face Heimdall who continued his watching, his eyes reflecting billions of points of light. Glancing down at her hands to see a piece of skin painfully caught between her nails she turned back to study the airless stretch before them. "But I would have tried."

Now it was Heimdall who turned to set his eyes on the AllMother, his manner of speech having no tenderness but rather a grim pronouncement. "All to no advancement and with no leverage for the future." In his iris a golden thread twisted and spiraled off like the arm of a galaxy, into infinity. "A future no longer following a god's decree."

Frigga turned fully away from the universe outside the Observatory to face the god inside it. She thought of the now complicated plan that Odin had enacted, it had seemed so simple at the start. Now it was slipping from even Odin's wishes? "What have you seen?" 

"Twice Prince Thor slipped from my sight while in the palace on the day he left."

Frigga raised an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly as if to see the Watcher better. He remained nearly unreadable, the same as always. Her countenance showed her searching deeply into the words until she finally gave voice to her thoughts. "Thor doesn't have the talent to hide himself from you. Only Loki does." Frigga questioned, "Where did he go?"

"As far as I could see," The Watcher didn't even hesitate or appear abashed at his words, "He never left the Residences."

Both eyebrows rose. "You were watching him in the Residences? In his chambers?" The AllMother's voice was clear in conveying her annoyance. It was an agreement that the Watcher would not watch in the royal families personal spaces.

"Peace, Majesty. It was on the AllFather's command." A slightly raised hand along with the hint of a tone acknowledging the fault was all he gave to assuage her insulted honor.

Frigga would never hold the insult against the Watcher, she knew where the fault lay. She turned back to gaze without sight at the endless length of dark with dots of light. Thor had vanished from Heimdalls sight twice while still in the Residences. Her eldest son did not have the kind of magic that allowed him to do that. But her youngest did.

Under her breath she mused, "Why would he go into Loki's chambers?" There was no answer from Heimdall, it wasn't a question to him. Frigga's thoughts turned to all manner of possibilities. Her first consideration was to wonder if Thor had actually hidden Loki in Loki's chambers however she just as quickly dismissed it. Loki was in Midgard. So what brought Thor to Loki's chambers? There was only one way to find out.

"Thank you Watcher." Heimdall gave a simple nod of his head. Frigga continued, "You will let me know of any changes." 

"As long as I may." His answer was another rote reply, he could do nothing against the orders of the AllFather. As long as nothing prevented the Watcher from notifying the AllMother, he would continue.

Frigga turned and walked back towards her patiently waiting mare. Her steps were once more undisputedly the calm and regal glide of the Queen of Asgard. Not a single sign of unease sat upon her features or showed in her movements. She was the Allmother, she had the Nine Realms at her feet.

The Guardian of those Nine Realms and the Watcher of everything else was aware of Huginn and Muninn as those ravens sat on the top of the Observatory and watched the Allmother ride down the Rainbow Bridge and back to the palace. 

Back at the stables Frigga gave her mare a gentle pat and several soft words of thanks before handing her off to a waiting stable boy who also received a kind smile of his own. Her steps were unhurried as she entered the archways of the outside corridors then transitioned to the interior ones. Word traveled quickly and her Ladies in waiting met her before she had arrived back at her apartment and her maids had her bath waiting.

It was several efficient hours later that she was clean, perfumed, powdered and dressed once more in soft silks with her hair in gentle coils on her head and down her back. She saw to needed tasks at her desk then left her chambers alone. Her steps took her down the familiar pathway to her son's apartments where she glided past Thor's door, the detailed golden patterns doing nothing to capture her attention.

It was the darker hall of her youngest son's chambers that brought her steps to a slower pace. She came to a smooth stop outside the door, the hall in unnatural darkness beyond just the dimness from the lack of torches. The knotwork details carved into the heavy wood drew her eye to the latch, and despite the faint light, she took note of the damage to it with a frown.

Without grasping the latch she used seir to push the door back until it gently tapped the wall behind it. She startled, a dagger appearing in her hand as the latch fell from the door to land on the stone floor with a harsh clanking and banging. Her body was in full battle stance, ready to attack or defend depending on which would be the best tactical choice. Slowly she stepped into the doorway, her eyes dropping to stare at the offending latch. With a scoff she vanished the blade and moved to where the offending metal lay on the floor.

She gave it a tap with a silken slipper. "Thor." She breathed resignedly, he insisted on strength when subtlety would do. 

Looking into the dark of the room Frigga saw nothing. She brought her hand up, a golden pinpoint of light came into being. It began moving, slowly at first, round and round, weaving itself faster and faster until the single point of light had become a glowing ball of intricately beautiful lacework. Frigga lowered her hand and the light moved to hover just above her head.

She didn't notice the string of green thread that was wound loosely around the chain of the large hanging chandelier. The thread ran down the chain, moving through and past each link until it stopped to rest around a half spent taper sitting in a holder. Other than small quivers, it remained there.

Frigga allowed her eyes to continue to adjust to the light, she wanted to flood the room with light yet she held back. She needed to see what Thor would have seen when he entered the darkened chambers. 

Walking carefully around the room she searched for anything that seemed different from the last time she had been in here, over two years ago. She had come to ask Loki a question about Thor's coronation. Now she opened her senses, trying to determine if she could feel what would bring Thor into these rooms. There had to be a reason. Something that he knew, perhaps was looking for. What would he need to greatly that he would enter his brothers rooms?

She frowned, he would know about Loki's wards. How did he even get past them? The wards were designed to keep everyone out but Loki was often spiteful in his viciousness towards Thor when his brother ignored his wishes. And Loki was unquestionably clear that Thor was unwelcome in his chambers without permission. And yet, according to Heimdall, Thor had been in here twice.

Frigga decisively walked to the drapes in front of the balcony and pulled them back to reveal the glass doors. She reached for the doorknob and it came off in her hand. She stared down blankly at it for a moment before saying in vexation, "Really, Thor." A mothers exasperation shone clearly in her observation. She turned and looked around into the now better lit room while walking over to the desk.

Letting out a deep sigh, she looked down to set the door knob into a clear space on the cluttered desk top. Her eye was caught by a single drop of muted color that marred the paper that held a detailed drawing of a bird. She knew what it was. She doubted there was an Asgardian old enough to be off their mother's knee that wouldn't know a drop of blood when they saw it. 

Dried with the edges flaking, it sat alone on the page. A deep red, near black yet not the color it would be had it sat there for over two years. Which would be the last time anyone should have been in this room. Her meditations brought her gaze to the latch laying on the floor. A startled expression of understanding came over her face as she looked about the room with a searching gaze. 

Thor had broken into Loki's rooms, he had not gotten past the wards, he had been poisoned by the latch. When Loki had originally set the wards, Frigga's demand to Loki was that if he was going to poison his brother it had to be something easily healed. And though it was easy to heal, it was still deadly, which had been proven true by the number of overly curious servants who had found out the hard way. Several fatally.

She had not healed Thor and she had gotten no word that he had gone to the healers ward. That left only one other who could have kept him alive.

Closing her eyes Frigga once more opened her senses then stretched them out, letting them fill the room like flowing water. Starting low in the room then gradually rising upwards, she searched for any sign of anything unusual. Something out of place. She wasn't sure what it was she waited for but she would know it when she found it.

As moments in time slowly slipped past, a barely perceptible golden haze glowed in the room, rising from the floor, it was Frigga's seidr made manifest. Not even enough to light the room it only outlined the furniture faintly as it brushed past it. It moved over each item, a gentle touch that left no space unchecked. Slowly time moved forward.

"Well hello there, little one." Frigga's voice was coaxing, calling to something hidden while conveying a sense of peace and calm with no dangerous intent. A satisfied smile showed on her face as her eyes looked upwards to the hanging chandelier. Around it her seidr held off, creating a buffer between the two distinct magics. 

The green thread-like wisp of Loki's seidr deliberately spiraled around the chain links for a moment before abruptly blinking out, gone. Leaving nothing in its place.

Frigga waited, she knew what she had seen. With her hands gracefully folded in front of her she felt anticipation bubbling inside. She had never seen Loki's seidr take a form, not a self-aware one without Loki's direction. This manifestation would appear without his direct control or even his awareness considering he wasn't even in the same Realm. It would be interesting to see what appearance it would-

"Hello Mother." The voice came from behind her in the direction to his inner chambers, affectionate yet with that teasing note that she hadn't heard in so very long. 

She was forced to close her eyes and bow her head to gather her sudden emotions. To survive these last years she had closed off so many feelings for her younger son, ruthlessly separating her mother's affections from her role as AllMother and Queen of the nine Realms. Now they all came rushing back, a near overwhelming flood. She turned to the voice and her hands rose to her mouth. She had been unprepared.

Loki stood half concealed in the large doorway, dressed in his familiar clothes that had been so casually worn in his youth. No severe harsh metal and buckled armor, this was the dress of a scholar who preferred comfort yet still required enough places for hidden daggers. His hair was that short cut he preferred, just before it reached the length that brought about that curl he detested so much but that Frigga loved to smooth with a loving hand. It softened the harsh lines that could appear so suddenly on his face when his emotions overtook him.

This Loki, who didn't know his past and was still untouched by his future, strolled into the spacious room. Frigga's joy ebbed just slightly because she knew she would never see this representation of Loki ever again. That innocence was gone from Loki. However the change must have been enough that even the dimness didn't conceal it from Loki's sharp gaze.

He took another step towards her. "Mother? What is wrong?"

Frigga shook her head, letting her delight chase away her sorrow, even if it were for just a few moments. Moving forward she took in more of Loki's appearance, barefooted and appearing at ease. "Nothing's wrong." The lie slipped from her tongue without her even being aware of it, nonsense words murmured to a sleepy child. Yet this Loki was no child. She contemplated the figure before her.

At the words he raised an eyebrow. "I spoke with Thor not long ago. I know that the half-witted ox could never have put things right so quickly."

There was a pause as Frigga frowned indulgently at Loki's words, "You shouldn't speak of Thor so despairingly. He has risen to the task before him." Her gaze changed and now she met those green eyes with a speculative inquiry.

Loki's head tilted just slightly, he studied Frigga with his familiar intensity as he searched for something. "Why did you come to my chambers? You will have come for a reason after all this time."

Frigga's face registered surprise, "You can detect the passing of time?"

He rested an elegantly long fingered hand on the back a nearby chair after he took a step towards it. "I was made aware by the ox that time has passed." Loki allowed his enjoyment of the insult to Thor come out in a mischievous smile. "He didn't tell me how long though." There was a question in those last words.

"Three years." The voice Frigga used conveyed her own curiosity at the reaction this information would cause. Her head tilted while intently observing the illusion.

Loki didn't try to hide the surprise that came over him, his mouth opened as his eyes widened. He struggled to grasp the amount of time that Frigga had revealed. Abruptly his features snapped into one of intense scrutiny, his whole body stilling. "What did I do?" There was an edge to his tone that clearly stated he wanted an answer. "Thor refused to tell me." Now Loki's displeasure and agitation showed in his moving out from behind the chair to begin to move closer to Frigga. He refused to lower a gaze that now was growing in determination. "There's a reason I haven't returned to these rooms in three years." His voice was demanding and he stopped moving. "A reason no one, not even you, have come to these rooms for three years." The volume of his voice had been steadily rising as his emotions became more chaotic. When Frigga didn't answer he shouted,"Tell me!"

There was a burst of green light as above their heads tendrils of seidr whipped about, contorting and thrashing as it flashed about. There was only the barest hint of control as it increased in speed.

Frigga's face had remained effortlessly serene as she had watched the display of temper with a near detached consideration. With only the sound of Loki's breathing, she assessed him with a gaze that was piercing as it travelled over his form. The face that tried and failed to hide it's thoughts from her, the tendons corded in his neck as his jaw jutted forward in his demands for information. The tense arms, held stiffly out from his body, ready to call forth weapons as easily as a cup of tea. Hands opening and closing in preparation for some still to be determined action. Legs ready to move at the first need while his entire body rested on feet that pressed him upwards.

With a near murmured voice Frigga spoke, "You are so like him."

Loki jerked back as though slapped. His entire being going from menacing to a near childish uncertainty. His mouth opened as he struggled to swallow and speak without a stutter, "Wha-" There was a soft question there. The bands of seidr above their head slipped into nothingness.

Frigga remained standing with exquisite posture and poise while she continued to mercilessly tear apart the illusion before her. "You could be him." She took a graceful step towards him and he flinched. Her voice was filled with a proud admiration. "He must have worked so hard to perfect you. The time, concentration and diligence to detail and perfection." She smiled and took more steps, her eyes roving over his face. "Such a clever boy." She watched the distress move from his face to his body, the tensing, the turning slightly to give less of himself facing her. A subconscious movement of protection. Still she moved closer as the examination continued until she stood right before him, her fascination on her face. The green eyes watched her with what looked like real distress.

The illusion appeared to struggle to gather it's emotions back, "I am Loki." A defiant chin raised to reinforce the words.

Frigga's smile was still there, though this time it held a graceful, mocking knowing as she tilted her head, "Now, if I know a lie from my real son, how can a mere illusion hope to deceive me?" She took several intentional steps forward, the illusion circled the same away from her.

"Thor came here for a reason. Where did he say he was taking Loki?" Frigga watched carefully, searching for not just deception but avoidance. Would an illusion seek to actively mislead her?

"He didn't say." Another step away, this time towards the desk.

Frigga contemplated the illusion, it had just confirmed that Thor had Loki, did it mean to? Did it know that Thor had taken Loki from the dungeons and had played at innocence? "When is he going to return?" The question was softly spoken though there was nothing soft about Frigga's gaze. She attempted to pin the illusion with her gaze, keeping him in one spot. Could she compel it?

"There was no revealing of his plans, he sought personal items." There was a note of aloofness in his voice.

Frigga raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she continued to hold the illusions full attention. "Personal items? Such as what?" 

The illusion gestured with false casualness, "Clothes. A book. Something that the child would want. He said I needed comforting. There was something," A frown of musing appeared on the boyish face, "Wrong with me."

Frigga's body stilled. "Wrong?"

"My thoughts." There was a shaking of it's head, "He didn't elaborate."

Now there was a narrowing of Frigga's eyes, "What else did he talk about?"

The illusion shook its head and stepped back, it wanted its own questions answered, "What did I do? Why was I in the dungeon?"

"Loki was in the dungeon. Not you." Frigga's voice was hard though her face still held it's delicate beauty. She watched the illusion carefully and with intensity, she had never before seen any spell like this one.

The illusion stood straighter, its bearing becoming superior. "I am Loki." There was a slight acknowledgement in the head tilting a degree to the side. "As much as I could imbue my own essence into the spell, I did so. Therefore this spell is Loki. Which means that I am Loki."

Frigga shook her head gently, "I know my son. While you are very much like him," There was a sadness about her smile now, "You are nothing more than a warding spell Loki created to maintain the privacy of his chambers. You are not him."

The illusion pursed its lips and narrowed its eyes, obviously in disapproval of Frigga's words. However it spoke nothing, simply staring in displeasure. Frigga walked forward to further examine it. When it would have retreated she spoke commandingly, "Hold." It stood still. She could compel it.

Frigga moved a hand forward towards it's face, as if to brush a tenderly loving hand against a cheek. When she would have touched she instead flicked her fingers out and the illusion wavered like water then lazily dissipated into green droplets of mist. Slowly they vanished completely and all the seidr of Loki's spell was gone.

Standing only lit by the faint light coming in from between the curtains and the light she had created, Frigga let out a thoughtful sigh. Loki had created something incredibly complex, she wondered if he even knew what power he had imbued into what should have simply been a clever way of keeping Thor from disturbing his privacy. Frigga had never been consulted about the spell-craft needed for this type of creation and she felt a stirring of unease as she wondered where her curious child had learned this advanced knowledge.

Looking about the chamber once more she saw nothing that would tell her where her children were hiding. Thor had obviously not given information to the illusion, perhaps he had known she would come seeking answers. Moving across the floor she went to the door and without a glance behind her, she exited and pulled the door firmly shut behind her.

The silence in the room was undisturbed, the only movement were faint dust motes that danced through the air before settling once more. The light that came in through the now open curtains made them appear like small sparks of golden light. It was only long after the light had moved across the floor as the day slipped past, that the curtains were violently pulled back into place, once more plunging the room into darkness.


	36. Hammers and Lightening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lunchtime with the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you think Loki's coming out of his shell is progressing naturally? Too slow? Too fast?

Between putting all the groceries away, Annie had made the entire bag of French fries, sliced the French bread and cut all the roasted chickens up before placing three of them on a platter. She had used that as a plate for Thor, it was easier than having to repeatedly refill a normal sized plate as he ate. Their conversation was quiet, Loki was still sleeping on the couch while Thor sat in one of the large chairs and Annie sat in the other.

"You'll get a kick out of what I found for Loki." Annie hadn't lost her excitement about her purchases. "It's probably nothing like he's used to."

"No matter, as long as he's clothed he will be happy. Or at the least I will be happy." Thor set a chicken bone on the plate, "I had little time to gather anything for him, not that I would have been able to find anything in his size." He studied Loki with a considering look. "He is very small in size."

"That reminds me, how old do you think he is?" Annie dipped a fry in ketchup.

Thor paused in eating while frowning, "I do not know his age." He spoke thoughtfully, "Nor can I say that his age is matching with his size."

Annie nodded, "That's true." There was momentary silence while she remembered something else she had been wondering, "How did you find out what was happening to him?"

Thor finished his mouthful then swallowed some of the beer in the bottle he was nursing. Before speaking he seemed to be gathering his memories prior to starting. "It was brought to my attention by one of the royal healers. She arranged a message to come to me." He looked down at his plate with a sightless gaze. "I'm sorry to state that I ignored her words for a time. I thought it was simply mischief that Loki had somehow created, to place me in opposition to our father's will." He raised his eyes to contemplate Loki's sleeping form. "It would be just his way, to create conflict in my mind."

"But something changed your mind." Annie didn't make the statement into a question, they were here so something had happened.

Nodding Thor spoke with a growl, "I overheard a guard making jest of Loki's treatment." he briefly met Annie's gaze before looking down at the beer bottle he still held in his hand. He used a fingernail to pick at the label. "I had gone to a tavern I normally do not frequent. Just for a desire to drink alone in a dark corner, hidden and unknown." He glanced over at Annie, "Despite not believing the message, I was disturbed by it and wanted to think on it without distractions."

Loki shifted just slightly and they watched to see if he would wake but he continued sleeping.

In Loki's dreams he was again in his cell. The darkness was only softened by the faintest light coming through the opening in the door. Slowly the light grew brighter, flickering. A burning torch being carried down the corridor, coming closer, as did the murmurings of several voices. 

Thor cleared his throat then continued explaining. "It's a tavern that is frequented by the lower ranking soldiers, which also includes dungeon guards. They were not speaking loudly but I could still hear them, they did not speak his name but when they spoke of the Prince, well, it could only be Loki they spoke of."

Annie watched Thor carefully, her meal forgotten. Thor rubbed his thumb against the tears in the label though he was unaware of it. His mind was clearly back in that tavern in Asgard.

"They were laughing amongst themselves, arguing whither the morning was when-" Thor stopped speaking. When he spoke again his tone was clipped and dark, "When 'the little Prince squealed the loudest' or if it were the afternoon." There was an unnatural stillness about Thor as he sat silent.

Annie didn't want to move. She didn't want to speak either which was good because the thoughts in her mind were a twisting storm of fury. Of course she spoke without thought, "How many times can Loki's story be just another example of how evil people can be?"

"Unfortunately there are many more examples." Thor huffed out a breath, trying to rein his emotions in, "That night I came back to the Palace determined to find out for myself Loki's condition. I was refused entrance to Loki's cell by order of Odin. By the next morning when I went to make my request known to him, he was waiting with orders for me to travel to Vanaheim for a civil disturbance that suddenly needed my attention. I was denied to see Loki before I left."

Loki's head turned slightly, a twitch below his eye and his lip rising were all the movement visible. Under the cape his fingers clenched into small fists.

The cell door was open. The burning torch came in first. In a corner Loki curled in on himself as tight as possible. The voices grew in noise, jeering, calling out though the words weren't coherent to Loki. The intent of the men behind the laughing intrusion was clear when the torch was violently thrust at Loki. 

Annie kept track of how Thor watched Loki with slightly glazed eyes, she didn't think he was seeing anything other than that moment in time. He rubbed at his chin then finished the last of the beer before he leaned forward to set the empty bottle on the coffee table.

"When I returned, Odin refused to allow me to see Loki, he stated that Loki had told the guards he did not want to see me. It took days before I could arrange to meet with the healer without arousing suspicion. When she spoke, she was rightfully angry with me for having not met with her at her first request. By that time Loki's condition had fallen into what you saw when we first arrived. The healer feared for Loki's survival."

Frowning Annie interrupted, "Your dad, Odin, would have let Loki die?"

Thor sat up in the chair while shaking his head, he reached out and picked the bottle up again. He went back to fidgeting with picking once more at the label, peeling strips off. "I begin to think even Odin knew little about Loki's condition." His mind couldn't wrap around the thought that Odin had truly known Loki's condition and still done nothing, nothing, about it. While at the same time he couldn't shake the sickening thought that this was all done at Odin's command. "There were no reports made, no one was informing him of what was being done. And when beasts are left to answer to no one," He shook his head while motioning at Loki, "You get this."

Loki turned his head a little, his mouth pulling open just slightly. There was the twitch of a muscle under an eye but he didn't wake.

The fire was all around. It singed naked skin with each pass. Small hands were at the back of his head, grasped into filthy, black hair. Hunched over with his legs pulled tightly under him, forehead pressed to the stone floor. The torch was thrust at Loki as if he were an animal to torment.

"I didn't know the full condition of Loki. But I believed the healer when she said she feared for him. His body could be repeatedly healed but it was his mind's condition that caused her to speak out." Thor looked to Annie to see how she was judging him. She was staring at Loki, her expression full of sorrow and pity. "It was only a few days to make plans, I found a cave that Loki and I would use to make camp in when we were young, we had told no one about it. After an eves punishment, instead of being taken back to his cell he was carried out through an old passageway and given to me." Thor shook his head as he remembered, "That's when I discovered that he had been shapeshifted into a child. And that his condition truly was dire."

"How did you get here? To Midgard?" Another chance to use that word. 

"That I must leave left unsaid. I swore to Loki to never divulge it. It was a time when he trusted me to keep his secrets." Thor frowned, "We were young then. I imagine he never thought I would use it to possibly save his life."

Annie kept her eyes on Loki, watching him sleep. There was so much to this story, she wondered if she'd ever know it all then thought that she probably didn't want to. It was difficult to understand what she'd already been told, she couldn't imagine trying to understand the magic that would bring someone from one world to another.

Loki shifted in his sleep again, his chin pulled down closer to his chest like a turtle pulling its head into its shell. Under his eyelids his eyes moved, his breath caught in his throat with a noticeable sound.

The flames from the torch brought whimpers from behind a mouth sewn shut. The tiny body twisted, trying to escape the pain. The tone of jeers and taunts grew in volume, just a rabble of noises with no clear voices.

Thor rose while setting the bottle back on the coffee table and moved to scoop Loki up. He kept the frail body in his arms as he rested it against his chest, turned sideways so he could watch Loki's face.

Annie set her own plate on the table as she scooted to the edge of her seat, she saw a distressed scowl come across Loki's face. He was dreaming.

Gently shaking Loki, Thor spoke soothingly, "Brother, wake. You're safe." Thor ran a finger from Loki's brow, between his eyes then ran it over the frowning eyebrows. "Wake up. Loki, wake." He rubbed at the bony chest with his fingers, his hand was large enough to nearly span the with of it.

From behind the flames came a voice that scattered the figures and the torch went out as softness and warmth replaced the hard stone of the cold cell floor.

Loki's eyes fluttered, opening slowly as he woke, he made a whine of unhappiness as he turned to press his face into Thor's chest, clenching his eyes closed. Several more whimpers were cried out into Thor's chest before Loki opened them again. This time he appeared more awake and aware as he looked up at Thor. Under the cape his limbs stretched and Thor started to unwrap him to give him more room to move. Green eyes found Annie and stayed focused on her.

Thor's fingers ran over the top of Loki's head, the black hair now laying against his scalp rather than standing up in spikes. It fluttered between Thor's fingers before dropping flat again.

"Hey there, did you have a good nap?" Annie smiled at him, trying to gauge his emotions. To her he looked like any other little kid who had been woken up, slightly confused and still sleepy. He yawned and it was such a normal thing that she found herself giving a quick laugh.

Once Thor had the cape pulled down Loki brought his hands out to rub at his eyes before he rested them on the cape, his fingers poking into his hands. He looked around the room as if assuring himself that everything was still the same and he hadn't been moved. He blinked owlishly.

Annie smiled at the sight, "You hungry? I got you some good stuff to try." Anne reached forward and grabbed her plate and set it on Thor's platter then stood to bring them into the kitchen. She set everything on the counter before she picked up the bowl she had been using for Loki's food, inside were small pieces of chicken breast she had cut up. Several tiny slices of French fries were also inside. She'd already washed the cups she had bought him, now she filled both the sippy style and the one with the straw with milk. Setting it all on the wooden tray she brought it over to where the two gods still sat on the couch, Thor's head bowed low while murmuring in Loki's ear.

Thor had assured her that there were cows in Asgard, he didn't understand the difference between two percent and three but was certain Loki could drink whatever she had. He also was able to convince her that Loki would be fine eating the chicken and potato, apparently a god's stomach could handle the simple foods even after that god had been starved.

Thor took the tray from Anne's hands while setting it carefully on Loki's lap, the boy raised his hands out of the way by tucking them under his chin. "Look what you have here to eat. Chicken and potatoes. It's roasted, you know this food." Thor held out the two cups, "And drink as well. Which vessel would you prefer?"

Both Annie and Thor waited to see if Loki would choose one. Annie was better able than Thor to see Loki's eyes moving back and forth between the two choices. "Does he know how to use a straw?" Loki's eyes looked to Annie for a second and she smiled as she wondered if he felt insulted by her question.

Thor nodded but it was slow while he looked thoughtful, "He should." At that moment Loki's hands came up and carefully grasped the cup with the straw sticking up. Thor was slow in letting it go, making sure Loki had a good grip on it before releasing it fully.

Leaning forward enough to see Loki's face Thor explained, "It's milk, we'll get you ale next time."

Annie snorted a laugh then saw Thor's face, "Oh, you're serious. Yeah, we don't actually let little kids drink alcohol."

Thor huffed, "Your ale would be just a flavorful drink for Loki. It would have no effect on him the same as it has none on me." They watched as Loki finished examining the straw in the cup by holding it up in front of his eyes then brought the straw to his lips. He carefully closed his mouth and drew the milk up.

Annie felt like cheering as she watched him deliberately hold the liquid in his mouth then swallow. Instead she smiled wide, "Good job, kiddo."

They watched as he continued drinking, one swallow after the other until he had to stop to take a gasping breath through his mouth. Thor chuckled, low and rumbly in his chest, "Easy there. Breathing is quite useful."

Loki took several panting breaths before taking a smaller sip, he lowered the cup and leaned back against Thor's chest. His tongue slipped out, licking his lips for any stray drops.

"Try some of the chicken, it's very tasty." Thor picked up and shook the bowl while taking the cup from Loki's hands.

Loki looked into the bowl, he took such a long time studying the contents, Annie wondered if he was studying each and every piece. Finally he moved his hand to reach inside, his fingers delicately grasping a piece of chicken. He brought it up to his nose where he softly sniffed it. It must have passed whatever test that had been because he carefully brought it to his mouth and poked it past his lips. Again he held it on his tongue, tasting it before deliberately chewing.

Annie watched Loki, his eyes were staring at her and she wondered if he was watching for a reaction from her. If he was she didn't want to disappoint him so she nodded while speaking in a positive tone, "Good job, buddy. Take your time and if you want more just let me know, there's plenty." She glanced at Thor who was doing his own staring but at Loki. "I made sure to keep some from your brother."

Thor looked up swiftly with a humorous expression, "It was very good." He looked back at Loki, "Isn't it Brother?"

For an answer Loki simply reached back into the bowl and picked up another piece, once more using a finger to push it into his mouth. He let his head drop back against Thor's chest as he chewed.

Giving the brothers a content sigh, Annie spoke, "How about I show you guys what I bought?" She wasn't even trying to hide her enthusiasm. She had to fight to keep her hands from clapping together like a little kid.

Thor gave Loki a nudge, "Lady Annie purchased you clothing, Brother. She's seems very excited to show us her finds." Thor grinned at Annie, "I believe she must have found something special for you."

"Ha! You have no idea." Annie went to where she had piled all the bags of Loki's things. "I just about had a fit when I saw everything."

Thor frowned, "That doesn't sound like a good thing."

Annie laughed, "No, not usually. But just wait till you see." She felt giddy with excitement, she bought everything for Loki but it was Thor's reaction she was interested in.

Grabbing the bags she loaded up her arms and hands to bring everything over in one trip then sat on the couch next to them. Letting it all drop on the floor at her feet, she looked through the bags until she found the item she wanted to show off first.

Loki picked up a piece of potato and brought it to his nose, sniffing it. He squeezed it slightly, watching it squish between his fingers. He cautiously pushed it into his mouth while clearly wondering what it would taste like. He smashed it to the roof of his mouth with his tongue, after a few seconds his eyebrows rose in recognition and he chewed with no hesitation.

Annie pulled out the Thor sweatshirt and held it up so both he and Loki could see it. "Ta daa!"

Thor's smile froze and his eyebrows rose high on his forehead. He stared at the shirt while his mouth slightly opened.

Loki just stared, then his head slowly rose to look up at Thor then back at the shirt. A single eyebrow twitched upwards so slightly it was nearly undetectable.

In the silence Annie frowned as she peeked around the shirt to take in Thor's expression, "Don't you like it?"

Thor opened and closed his mouth then spoke with disbelief, "Stark said I had not been given the honor of having my likeness on clothing." One side of Thor's mouth twitched upwards then his whole face transformed into unmistakable excitement. "He said my head was too big to fit."

Annie couldn't stop the laughter that burst out, "That has to be the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. And you believed him?" Her eyes were sparkling with a sheen of moisture from the laughter.

Thor shrugged, "Well, I do have a big head." More laughter from Annie didn't change Thor's attitude, he reached out and took the sweatshirt from her. He held it up to examine it closer, Loki stared at the large image of Thor's face looking right at him while Thor looked impressed. With a growing grin, he then dropped his arms, letting it land on the couch. "Do you have more?" He looked hopefully to the shopping bags.

"Do I have more? Oh yeah." She felt her happiness growing and under her breath murmured as she snorted, "Do I have more he asks. Oh yeah, I have more." Annie reached into the closest bag and grabbed the first thing. Pulling it out she declared, "Pajamas!"

Thor reached out and took hold of the PJs, his fingers taking in the softness of the flannel. "Oh, these are wonderfully soft." He brought the shirt and pants set closer to Loki, "Feel this, Brother." Thor delicately brought the fabric to the side of Loki's face and rubbed it against his cheek. "Feel that? It's nice, yes?"

Loki paused in his eating as the fabric rubbed against his skin, his eyes lowered slightly, like a cat being petted he looked content. When Thor set the PJs down on the sweatshirt in front of them he went back to carefully eating.

As each next item was pulled out to show off, Thor took it and held it out, showing Loki while never losing his enthusiasm. When the slippers came out he nearly snatched them from Annie's hands. "Look! Mjolnir!" He squeezed them and that's when they all realized that the slippers made noise.

Annie snorted, "Oh my gosh! That's supposed to be the sound of it hitting something!" She grabbed them back, slipped her hands into them and slapped the soles together. A sound came out each time. "When you walk the hammer makes a sound. That's so amazingly cool!" She slapped them together a couple more times before handing them back to Thor who was holding out his hands.

He frowned, "Mjolnir doesn't sound like this, this sounds like a ringing bell." He looked thoughtful as he hit the soles together, "More like a dwarven hammer on a anvil. Wouldn't you agree, Loki? You have experience with the Dwarves."

Loki stared at the slippers in front of his face, he watched as Thor tapped them together. He didn't say anything, he just ate another piece of potato.

"Really?" Annie raised her eyebrows. "Huh, learn something new everyday." She pulled out the other set of slippers and tapped the soles of those together. Another sound came from them, "Lightening!"

Thor shook his head, "These are beyond wonderful." He looked at them wistfully, "you did not notice perchance if they had them in my size?"

Annie started laughing, she laughed so hard she snorted then started wheezing. Holding her side she finally brought herself under control. "I didn't see any." She chuckled as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "But I was in the kids section. We can check the men's section and see what they have." She leaned against the couch letting out a deep sigh, "Ahh man, you're hilarious." 

Thor grinned as though she had given him the greatest compliment. "Here, lets see how they fit, yes Brother?" Thor reached down to move the tray, handing Loki his bowl of food then began to fully unwrap Loki from in the cape. Annie leaned forward to help reveal the little feet. Thor eased them on each foot while Loki watched with the most interest Annie had ever seen in his eyes. Once the slippers were on they all stared at them.

Annie couldn't help but ask, "What do you think, Loki? Do you like them? How do they feel?"

Loki's feet moved slightly, back and forth as he wiggled his toes inside.

Thor asked while moving to peer at Loki's face, "Do you like them, Brother?"

Loki turned his head enough to return Thor's gaze, their eyes meeting. His head nodded once, twice, then he looked back at the slippers covering his feet. He continued to move his feet while picking another piece of chicken from the bowl.

One of Thor's big hands came up to Loki's head and held it lightly back against his chest while giving the side an affectionate kiss. There was a sheen to his blue eyes that he rapidly blinked against spilling. Loki giving him even this little acknowledgement made his heart fill, it had been freely given. There had been no force on Thor's side and he knew it was all because of Annie. She allowed Loki to feel safe enough to express himself.

Annie saw the way Thor reacted to Loki's response to his question and felt her own hopefulness wash over her. Loki had answered a question from Thor and that god's elation was obvious. Pulling the knit hat from the bag Annie handed that to Thor, "Here, I love these hats with the pom pom on top."

Visibly gathering his emotions back inside, Thor carefully pulled it onto Loki's head, down enough to settle over the tops of his ears. Leaning sideways to look at Loki, Thor grinned, "You look very festive, Brother. And warm." He poked the pom pom ball with a large finger. "Though I fail to see the reason for the, uh, pom pom ball?"

Annie grinned, "Decoration I guess. I just like the way it wobbles. It's cute." She thought Loki finally looked like a little kid. He seemed physically and mentally relaxed and at ease with Thor's affection and closeness. 

A pile of clothes surrounded him, his fingers rubbing over the flannel of the PJs as if he had never felt the fabric before. He had watched as each item was revealed, his eyes following from it coming out of the bag until it was placed on the growing pile in front of his lap. He was interested in his clothes, Annie thought it was obvious even if he wasn't showing the same obvious excitement that she and Thor were.

Once the bags were empty Annie let out a sigh, "This was fun. We're gonna have to do this again when we buy more clothes." She met Loki's gaze, he had finished eating and the bowl had been set on the coffee table. Now he was sipping the last of his milk.

"More?" Thor raised an eyebrow. 

Annie nodded, "Of course. This is just basics, it should get him through the weekend and this week but I still need to get him underwear, regular socks, some jeans. Oh, and tennis shoes." She counted each item off on a finger she held up.

Thor frowned, "I have seen this game, tennis. I don't believe he will be playing it."

More chuckles, "No, they're shoes. You can call them tennis shoes or sneakers. Or gym shoes."

"Ah, you Midgardians have so many different types of shoes." He pointed to Loki's slippers. "Though I will admit, those I like. Very much." He widened his eyes while nodding.

Annie didn't stop the smile on her face, "Well we'll have to see if they make them in your size and get you a pair."

"Yes! When?" Thor's voice conveyed his desire for his own pair.

"Uh, oh." Annie felt surprise grow, "Umm, when ever you want actually. I was planning on going back this afternoon and finishing up. I forgot my list the first time I went, so I know I forgot a couple things I absolutely needed to get. Plus I couldn't fit everything in one trip in my wagon. So, if you want to come with me," She raised her voice in a question, "I guess we can go now?"

"Excellent!" Thor glanced down at Loki, "You can wear your new clothes. How about this one?" Thor pulled the sweatshirt with his face on it from the bottom of the pile.

Loki's eyes went from the sweat shirt to back down to the pile. His arm stretched out as he leaned slightly forward so his hand could come closer, his finger tapped down on a pair of the flannel PJs. It tapped once, then twice. He had made his preference clear.

Thor frowned slightly, "I believe those are sleep clothes, Loki." Thor looked to Annie for support as he waved the sweat shirt, "This is day wear."

Annie couldn't help herself, she grinned, "Sorry Thor, but, he can wear the PJs if he wants. He'll fit right in with the rest of the Wal Mart people."

"Wal Mart people?"

Annie nodded, "Oh yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm curious what you think of this chapter, your comments help me bring out the parts you're enjoying.  
> If you saw any errors or anything you think I overlooked, please let me know.


	37. Bullies and Bananas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think of this chapter.  
> Please let me know if something doesn't make sense to you or if you see an error.

It only took about thirty minutes for the three of them to be ready to leave. The time was spent by Thor taking a warm washcloth to Loki's face and hands while Annie spent it getting the lunch dishes into the dishwasher. Putting the leftovers into containers and then the fridge was finished at the same time Thor brought Loki back out to the living room.

Smiling over at them Annie took in Thor's change of clothes. Jeans lose enough to fit his boots under them and a bulky, oversized black hoodie that had been pulled over his t-shirt gave him the look of an average guy. She tried to see if she would recognize him but couldn't get past the fact that she already knew who he was. Of course, he looked like Thor, he was Thor. Maybe he could pull the hood up if people were looking at him.

"You look good." She decided it wouldn't hurt to let him know.

Thor gave her a pleased smile, "Thank you, Lady Annie. I will admit that Midgardian clothing can be quite comfortable. Though most of it is rather soft and offers no protection against a blow."

Annie huffed a laugh, "I'm not sure many designers think about protection when coming up with a new line. Maybe you should design your own line of clothes." Thor looked thoughtful and hummed rather than answered. Looking to Loki, Annie asked, "So how do you feel, kiddo? You look handsome in your new jammies."

Loki for once wasn't surrounded by Thor's cape, that item was tossed over one of the god's shoulders. Loki balanced on a hip, one thin arm placed around Thor's shoulder. The boy was still wearing his slippers, the Mjolnir ones. The pom-pom balls on his knit cap bobbled each time he turned his head. At Annie's words, his hands went to the hem of his shirt where his fingers toyed with it, plucking at the fabric. He didn't say anything though his head did lower to look at the PJ's that covered him.

"They are warm, yes?" Thor asked while running his hand along Loki's flannel covered leg.

Loki didn't answer Thor either, though he did keep rubbing at the fabric. 

Annie came closer to them, a question coming into her mind as she looked at Loki in Thor's arms. "Hey, I just thought of something." She looked to Thor, "Can Loki stand? Or walk?" She looked to Loki, "I mean, I know his feet might still be tender, " She shrugged, "But I'm just wondering."

Thor's expression clearly told that he hadn't asked himself the same questions. He leaned back to try and catch Loki's eyes, "Let's set you down, yes?"

This time Loki turned his head to look at Thor, green eyes studying blue for several seconds before he nodded his head once. He looked down as Thor swung his body carefully around to right above the floor. The slipper clad feet stretched their toes down to touch the floor and Thor let Loki down those last few inches so that he was standing. 

When his weight settled on his soles there was the sound that was meant to be a hammer striking. Loki held on to Thor's arms, letting his brother steady him while they watched as he carefully tested out how standing felt after having been off his feet for so long.

Annie watched while trying to remember to breathe, Loki moved his feet side to side then took several hesitant and small steps away from Thor, looking up to see Annie watching him. With a smile both of encouragement and because of the sounds, Annie nodded, "You're doing a great job. Does it hurt too much? Do you need to be carried?"

In answer Loki turned to face Thor and held out his arms, he wanted to be picked up again. It was such a normal action, a little kid raising his arms up, wanting to be held.

Thor swept Loki up, "That was very good for your first try. Next time you'll do better." Thor didn't want to let his mind linger on the fact that once more Loki was so weak compared to his previous self. He tried to not let those thoughts cloud the fact that Loki had stood and that he had taken several steps, small though they were. It was a start. He thought hard to convince himself that was good enough, at least for now.

Annie let out a small huff of air, "I'm sure his feet are still tender, we both saw the skin was still pink and healing. So, yeah, that was a good start." She smiled at Loki who looked back at her with large green eyes that seemed to be waiting for something. She looked at his face, what he wanted wasn't clear. She watched his mouth twitch, his lips pressing together. That's when Annie realized something.

Around Loki's mouth were the still healing scars from his mouth being sewn shut. A few small cuts were also visible on his cheeks, one along his jaw. Annie realized that she had gotten used to them, she saw them but they didn't shock her anymore. She wasn't sure if that was good or not, shouldn't they still have the same effect on her?

"I think we need to cover those up." Annie waved towards Loki's face and Thor looked also except he was puzzled. "The scars. We should cover the scars so no one says anything."

"How so?"

Annie headed towards her bedroom, "Make-up. I should have some concealer that will at least make them less noticeable." In her bathroom she found a couple of bottles of different shades, she chose the lightest one and brought it with her to where Thor and Loki were sitting on the couch.

Thor watched with unconcealed curiosity as Annie opened the bottle as she dropped down beside them on the couch. "This won't hurt." She held it out so Loki could see it then pressed her finger over the open top and shook the bottle. She held up the finger, showing the pad where a round drop of makeup clung. "See? It's like, uh, a face paint." She wiped the concealer onto her chin.

Loki stared at the drop on her chin. He had been watching her intently, following each movement she made. Now he stared at the drop, there was interest on his face but also a wariness as he waited to see what was going to happen next.

Taking the same finger she lightly rubbed the make-up into her skin. "See? It goes on your skin and then you rub it in. No pain, no big deal." Loki looked into Annie's eyes then back at her chin. "So." There was a soothing tone to her voice, "Can I put some on you? I'll be careful and gentle."

Loki's eyes darted up to meet Annie's eyes, he leaned his head slightly back. He didn't seem to be about to agree, his body pressed his back against Thor's chest, his head tucking under his brother's chin. He folded his hands together, resting them on his lap.

Thor spoke softly, "Loki? Will you let Annie put this onto your face?"

Loki swallowed, while his eyes focused on the bottle. His mouth opened slightly, he was breathing just a little faster than he had been. His eyes jumped up to Annie's, his eyes wide and not blinking. After a moment he shook his head just a small amount, no more than an inch in each direction. His fingers rubbed against each other, revealing his unease.

As Annie nodded and went to screw the lid back on Thor spoke up, "Brother." His tone was disappointed. "Lady Annie will not harm you. Let her do this." Thor gave Loki a small nudge.

Again Loki shook his head, this time a little more adamantly. He again swallowed, looking a little more uneasy. His hands were tightly clasped together, white showing where his fingers pressed against each other. He had an edge of discomfort in how his body appeared, a tenseness that made his shoulder hunch.

"It's okay, Thor. If he doesn't want me to then I won't." Annie tried to hide her own disappointment, she felt like Loki didn't trust her though she knew his refusal probably had nothing to do with her. Whatever he had been through, he had some hard limits that came from it.

Thor huffed in annoyance at what he felt was Loki's weakness, this was such a simple thing. He couldn't see why Loki would deny Annie this small act. It meant nothing and was for his benefit. But he also wasn't going to grab Loki's face to force him to allow it. Though if he were brutally honest, the main reason he held back was that he knew Annie would be furious with him and refuse to apply this face paste. Thor spoke with frustration in his tone. "Very well. As you wish, Loki."

Trying to change gears both mentally and physically, Annie set the bottle on the coffee table then clapped her hands together once. "Okay. How about we head out?" Standing up, she made sure to grab the grocery list from the counter where it had been forgotten the last trip, then her keys and phone. She pulled her coat on then took up the handle of the wagon.

Thor wrapped Loki into the cape once more, making sure to gather it snuggly around his neck to hide the collar from any curious eyes. Once he was secured inside the cape Thor came over and easily picked up the wagon in his other arm. "Let me carry this down."

Annie's eyebrows went up as she let go. "You sure? Your arms are already full. I can carry it down, no problem."

Thor shook his head, "I'm certain."

They went out the door and Annie pulled it shut behind her, making sure to lock it. Thor had already headed down the stairs, he took them as carelessly as he would with empty arms. At the bottom, he set the wagon down and looked back up at Annie who was still making her way down.

Once at the bottom she motioned to the wagon, "How about going for a ride?" She watched as Loki looked down at the wagon then leaned himself forward. Thor placed him in the wagon and Annie pushed the pile of shopping bags aside and settled him against the back, looking forward. He turned his head as he looked around, green eyes curious.

Annie reached for the wagon handle, "I'll pull it, you're probably too tall to be comfortable." 

Thor looked like he wanted to argue however Annie was right. He would have to hunch one shoulder down to reach the handle which would not only be awkward but draw attention to them. And neither wanted that to happen. "Very well. Though I wouldn't mind." He let her take the handle from him.

As she looked back to give Loki a reassuring smile before giving the wagon a gentle tug to get it started rolling she said, "I know." She told Loki, "Here we go, kiddo."

Thor continued to glance back down at his brother as they walked through the parking lot. Loki appeared to be fascinated by everything, his head turned from one direction to the other then back again. "It's all very different from home, isn't it Brother?"

Loki looked up at Thor then went back to taking everything in with wide, staring eyes.

She hadn't thought about all the differences so Annie asked Thor, "What's the biggest difference?"

Thor huffed out a laugh while shaking his head, "Everything. Asgard is nothing like this Realm. In Asgard there are fewer people, the land size is less and people walk or ride horses. It hasn't changed in thousands of years."

"Wow. Yeah, I guess it's different then." They walked side by side down the sidewalk, the sound of the wagon wheels softly thudding over each line in the cement pavement. 

Annie allowed her head to fall back enough to look up at the sky through the leaves that remained on the trees. She felt like she was in a weird, alternate universe, where walking beside a god while pulling another in a wagon was normal. Or at least possible. A sudden thought came to mind and she asked, "Thor, how long do you plan to be here? On Midgard?"

Thor allowed himself to let out a breath into the crisp air, he too was looking around and taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. In his time with the Avengers he had rarely walked anywhere and when he was out he was in the heart of New York. Nothing like this street with its large trees and mix of old homes and apartments. Now he contemplated Annie's question, he didn't like his answer. "I don't know." He glanced back at Loki, the boy was looking around wide-eyed while taking everything in.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you want or need to. I don't have a problem with you staying with me. I was just thinking that eventually, you'll have to go back, right?" She looked up and over at Thor.

"Eventually, yes. However, I'm going to remain here until Loki has returned to himself. Then we will devise a plan, or Loki will. We will have to decide if it's safe for him to return to Asgard." Again Thor looked back over his shoulder at Loki for a moment before saying quietly, "I will admit that I made no plan further than getting him out of Asgard and here to Midgard. I wanted him safe and looked no further than that."

Annie's brow furrowed as she thought out loud, "So." She pursed her lips, "You're here now. And waiting for someone to help you get Loki's collar off. What if there's no way to do it?"

They had come to a corner and now crossed the street, Thor speaking contemplatively yet firmly, "There must be a way. He can't keep it on forever. He can't remain this way." Thor looked around but without seeing. "He can't stay here like this. If I have to return to Asgard to find a way, I will." He spoke with conviction then abruptly took in the meaning of the words he was saying. He looked to Annie while speaking with hesitation, "If I had to return, and leave Loki behind, would you care for him?"

Annie stopped walking to turn to face Thor who stopped just as quickly. "Of course. Of course, I'll take care of him, if you're here or not, I have no problem taking care of him." She looked down at Loki who was sitting in the wagon looking back at her.

He was focused on her, green eyes roaming over her face as if searching for something. He would look to Thor and do the same, then back to Annie. After doing this several times he went back to looking around him, they were closer to the downtown area and there were more people walking around and the architecture was changing.

"I don't have a problem telling you that I'm really starting to care about him." Annie didn't want to tear up but she found herself having to blink rapidly so she turned away from Thor to start walking again. "You don't have to worry, you can trust me. I'll take care of him no matter if you're here or not."

The god nodded his head, speaking with feeling, "Thank you. I have no intention of leaving Loki alone. However, if there is one truth associated with him, that is that chaos is always connected to him. And chaos means that I rarely have the pleasure of knowing what is going to happen next as it concerns him." 

"Well, excitement can be a good thing." Annie wanted to make Thor look at it in a positive way. He seemed to realize it.

He huffed, "You haven't lived with Loki. I'm already ill-suited for patience, I have a hot burning temper that leads me astray more often than not. Add Loki's need for mischief and it's a wonder our Mother allowed us to leave our chambers as we grew up."

Annie chuckled, "Sounds like she had her hands full."

Thor nodded. "That she did." They had crossed another street and arrived in the downtown, walking past the various stores. Thor looked at each one as they passed, trying to determine what was for purchase in each. After several quiet moments, he spoke again, "Those are the memories that I keep returning to. Those with my Brother by my side. Standing next to me in adventures." He sighed, "That's why the memories of what happened between us seem to be so difficult to believe. Yes, we've fought, oftentimes with both of us blinded by emotions, but never with such-" Thor searched for the words that would convey his feelings. "Such hatred on his side and dismay on mine. Dismay and yes, hurt. His words to me were meant to deeply hurt and I can not see where they rise from." Thor felt he could finally speak how he felt. Since first learning that Loki was alive and on Midgard Thor had been taken up with returning him to Asgard. And once he had done that, he had been unable to reveal his feelings to anyone, just trying to speak them had felt like a betrayal to Loki. Which Thor could not understand, it was Loki who had betrayed him. Betrayed everything that had once been between them. Now he found that the words poured forth, he couldn't stop them.

Annie listened, letting Thor vent while getting a deeper understanding of the relationship between the brothers.

"I've tried to see where his feelings could have come from and am unable. He spoke of things that never happened the way he said." Thor shook his head as if to clear away an unpleasant thought. "I don't know where his hatred of me comes from. I never did anything to deserve such bitterness."

Thor had been right, he was hurt and it was clear in his tone of voice that he was struggling to understand where Loki's feelings had come from. Annie wondered if Loki's feelings were new or if they had always been there and Thor just never saw them.

Well, only one way to find out.

"So," She paused trying to think of the nicest way to ask if Thor had just been oblivious to Loki's feelings despite how much he claimed to be close to him. "Do you think he always felt that way? Felt those hurtful emotions towards you?"

Thor shook his head, "No, no he-" The words died in Thor's throat. Loki had told Thor that he had always had felt in Thor's shadow. So he must have hidden them, kept them from Thor. There was a feeling of what he would describe as anger that bubbled up inside him. Anger and perhaps frustration because Loki had never given Thor the chance to defend himself. To listen to Loki's accusations and refute them. "Perhaps." There was reluctance in that admission. 

"Hmmm." Annie watched as the Wal Mart sign came closer, it stood out against the sky. 

"But they were not valid. He had no cause to feel such anger towards me. I was the one who always stood between he and those who would ill-use him." Thor sounded like a child even to himself. As though Loki should have been grateful to him. Which wasn't what he felt. He was certain that was not how he felt.

"So you protected him."

"Yes!"

"Huh. So, who would bully a Prince?" Annie looked at Thor curiously.

He opened his mouth then closed it before replying with carefully spoken words. "There were many who bore the brunt of Loki's tricks. They were not always so respectful of how they spoke about him." Thor looked to Annie, he needed her to understand. "Loki rarely missed an opportunity to make a fool of someone. And if there was not the opportunity, he would often make one. Our friends were often the ones receiving the brunt of his tricks, they were rarely pleased with him. Often they were even reluctant to be in his company and would have left him behind if I had not pled for him."

Annie glanced back at Loki. He was staring up at them, listening. Looking forward again Annie felt herself wanting to defend a version of Loki she didn't even know. "Why didn't Loki just hang out with his own friends if yours didn't want him around?"

"They were his friends as well."

Annie snorted in disagreement. "If they didn't want him around because he played jokes on them then I don't think they were his friends. And if he played that many tricks on them, maybe he didn't feel they were his friends either."

Thor frowned, he agreed with Annie, and yet she didn't fully understand the relationship between the Warriors Three, Sif, and Thor. They were more than just friends. They were comrades, Shield-mates. They fought together through life and death battles, Loki right there with them even if he didn't fight as one of them. The connection between them all was difficult to place into words for someone who had never been there. "Loki could be difficult. He was younger than all of us and weaker. At times he struggled to keep up and that would make him sullen. No one wants to be around someone behaving so."

"So what about his friends? If you guys didn't want him around, why invite him?" They were walking down the sidewalk in front of Wal Mart.

"Loki had no friends of his own. There were no children in the palace his age. As his elder brother is was my duty to look after him." Thor watched as people came to and from the entrance to the building, drawing closer he felt awe come over him as he realized this was one shop. "I brought him along because he had no one else."

"So what's something he likes to do?" Annie wondered if Thor and Loki's so-called friends had ever done what Loki enjoyed. She kind of doubted it.

"Read. Learn. Loki is curious so he is always attempting something to gain knowledge." Thor allowed himself a smile, "He nearly drove our father mad with his habit of taking things apart. Father was always getting reports that something else in the palace had disappeared only to be found later in Loki's chambers. Spread out across the room while he was attempting to improve upon it."

Annie huffed out a laugh, "I bet that went over well in a society built on keeping things the same." They were at the large entrance, going through the automatic double doors.

Thor was wide-eyed with awe, he spoke but his mind was obviously on taking in the sights. "Yes, he was always in trouble for his destruction of palace property."

Pulling Loki along behind her Annie let Thor get a few steps ahead of her so she could watch him. He was looking all around, the ceiling seemed to fascinate him, with its openness revealing inner workings that were normally hidden.

"Hello! Welcome to Wal Mart!"

Thor grinned at the greeter, Annie noticed it was the same man from before. Walking over to him, Thor held out his hand in the custom he knew was common on Midgard. "Hello and well met!" Thor's voice carried as he shook the hand of the slightly startled but pleased mortal. "Thank you for your greeting of welcome!" Here he bent down to look at the man's name tag. "Lord Glen of the Market of Walls."

Annie held back her laugh and kept her grin under control. The greeter was staring at Thor but it wasn't clear if he recognized the god or if he was just so surprised that someone was actually greeting him back.

"Your marketplace is certainly robust!" Thor looked around again, his eyes sparkling. Looking at Loki in the wagon he called out to him, "Do you not agree, Brother? This is very unlike our market at home."

Annie felt they were getting a little too much attention standing in the entry plus they were blocking most of it. "Come on big guy, let's actually enter the market of walls." She snickered, she couldn't help it. 

Thor nodded then looked at Glen who was obviously thrilled with Thor's attention. "I wish you a happy day, Lord Glen." 

Annie walked past the greeter after having said to him, "My cousin, he's visiting America."

"Ah, that makes sense."

Thor was in the fruits and vegetables, looking at the bins and displays. Annie glanced back at Loki who was staring at everything. His expression was of wide-eyed wonder, the same as Thor's though slightly less obvious. His little mouth hung open as he turned his head to try to take everything in. Being down in the wagon his viewpoint made everything above him.

"Look!" Thor held something up and out towards Annie who was coming towards him. "Loki, its a golden apple." There was a humorous sparkle in his eyes.

Annie nodded while looking at the yellow-gold color of the apple. "I got you a couple of those." Annie looked around, "I guess it's perfect that we're here together. You can tell me what you like."

Thor looked around them, the sheer number of offerings was nearly overwhelming. "In Asgard there is not such a variety of food. Some of these are familiar however most I have never seen. Even in Starks Tower, we do not see this much."

"Well, let's get started then." Annie waved at the section they were in, "What looks like something you want to try?"

Thor looked around then something else drew his attention and he stared at a woman setting her selection in her grocery cart. In the child seat, a girl of about three sat while staring down at the phone in her hands, obviously watching something that held her full attention. Thor glanced at Loki in the wagon then asked Annie, "Can we get one of those metal wagons? I believe Loki would enjoy riding in one of those."

Annie felt stupid. "Uhg, I should have thought of that myself. Sure, let me go get one, that way he can see everything." Annie held the wagon's handle out to Thor, "Hold this, I'll be right back." She turned and headed back out to the entry where the shopping carts were waiting. She grabbed one and a sanitizing wipe to go over the handle, wiping it down as she returned inside. She went in the direction where she had left Thor only to see he wasn't there. Neither was the wagon or Loki.

"Craaap." Annie's eyes looked around franticly for just a few seconds before she spotted Thor, he was talking to the woman with the child in the cart they had seen before. Quickly she pushed her cart over to where they stood, just in time to hear Thor talking as he held up a bunch of bananas at eye level.

"Are you sure these are not aphrodisiacs?" The woman was staring at Thor with a look of amused wonder. The god didn't seem to notice as he was staring at the bunch of bananas. "These certainly resemble a cluster of small, male members." 

Annie bolted around the grocery cart and grabbed the bunch of bananas, pushing them down while trying to not squeal with embarrassment. "No!" She forced her voice to quiet, "No, no, just bananas. No, no," Annie whispered, "No male members." 

The woman was laughing now, not even bothering to be quiet. Her child ignored them in favor of whatever she was watching on the phone. "I've never thought of that, but I will never be able to look at bananas the same way ever again."

Thor nodded while saying to Annie, "See? Even the Lady Lisa agrees they look like pen-"

Annie's hand covered Thor's mouth, she was trying not to burst out in her own fit of laughing. Still whispering she shook her head, "No. No male members and no penises. Not in Wal Mart. It's not that kind of store." When Thor would still have spoken Annie raised a finger to him, "No. No, we will not be talking about male members in the produce section of Wal Mart."

The woman snorted a laugh then covered her mouth and nose. It did nothing to silence her laughter.

Annie lowered her hand, Thor had a grin on his face. "Very well. I will trust your knowledge." He gave a regal nod of his head to the woman, "And yours My Lady."

The woman nodded her head, "Sure, you're welcome." Still chuckling she pushed her cart down the aisle.

Annie waited until the woman was turning her cart before looking at Thor who's eyes were sparkling with mischief, "You're too much, you know that?" She pulled the bananas from Thor's hands, "Too much. And I already bought some of these."

"Buy more. I will enjoy them, I'm sure." Thor watched as Annie set the bananas in the grocery cart. He still thought they could be aphrodisiacs. Why else would they be shaped thusly?

Still chuckling under her breath, Annie motioned to the cart and Loki. "How about setting him in here?"

Thor reached down and picked Loki up, adjusting the cape as he walked around to the front of the cart. Annie helped move the cape so that Loki's legs were free and guided them so he could be lowered to the seat. The cape bunched up around him, filling the space around him.

Annie moved the cape around so that Loki's hands were able to come out if he wanted, though she made sure to keep it snug around his neck to make sure the snake-shaped collar was hidden. She had no idea how people would react to a small child having such a tight piece of metal around his throat but she didn't want to find out in the middle of Wal Mart.

"There you go, buddy. Now you can see everything like the rest of us." Annie watched as Loki looked around, his eyes were still wide as he took in all that he could see. "And you can help pick out what you want."

Annie watched as Thor picked up her little canvas wagon and set it into the cart where it stuck out awkwardly. "Can this be made smaller?" Thor poked at the frame with large fingers.

"Sure." Annie came around and pulled out the shopping bags before she started unclasping the locks that kept the frame rigid, "But we still have to keep an eye on how much we buy. It has to fit in here plus Loki."

"I can carry him. He is light in weight." Thor watched carefully as the wagon was broken down, he wanted to be able to rebuild it.

"Still, we shouldn't go overboard." Annie stood back with a serious expression while trying to sound like the adult in the group. "We can always come back. Actually, we will come back, so we don't have to buy everything this trip."

Thor looked around, "No, no we don't have to buy everything." He sounded as though he knew that would be impossible even for him. "But we can buy much, yes?" His tone changed to that of an excited child.

Annie scoffed good-naturedly, "Yes, we can buy much." She looked around and spotted something. "Starting with this." She walked over to a display and picked up a round, red fruit, and held it up. "You recognize a pomegranate?"

Thor pushed the cart the way he had observed other shoppers do, the cart rolled quite easily over to Annie. "Yes, we have those in Asgard." He nodded, "Though they are rare."

Annie looked at the price and winced, "Well, they're a treat here too. Plus a lot of work." She picked up two and grabbed a mesh produce bag from the cart, dropping them in. "One for each of you guys. I'm sure Loki will love them, they're perfect finger food."

Thor frowned, "You do not care for them?"

"Oh no, I love them." She pointed to the price, "They're just expensive." 

Thor reached a long arm out and picked one up, "You must have one as well."

Annie took it from his hand and put it back. "Not at that price."

Thor stilled for just a moment before coming closer to Annie, his eyes never leaving her face. He reached out and very deliberately picked up a pomegranate while taking the mesh bag from her. His expression dared her to challenge him.

"What are you doing?" Annie looked from the bag to the fruit in Thor's hand, watching as he slowly dropped it in the bag. "No, one for each of you is enough." She reached for the bag and Thor raised it above her head, too high for her to reach.

Thor watched Annie's face as she looked up at the bag and back to his face, he kept his eyes on her. "One for each of us."

Annie's eyes narrowed at his tone, he was using what she thought must be his Prince of Asgard voice. She shook her head and was about to disagree when his hand slowly reached for another pomegranate. She gave an uncertain huff, "What are you doing? That's enough." Her hands fluttered between them.

Loki had turned in his seat and was watching them both. Green eyes taking in every action, darting back and forth between them. Whatever he was thinking wasn't revealed on his face.

Thor never let his gaze move from Annie's eyes though he did allow a small smirk to start to turn his mouth up on one side. He watched with growing amusement as her eyes darted from the fruit to the bag as the two came closer together. With calculating slowness he held the fruit over the open bag then opened his hand wide, pointedly letting go.

"Okay, okay." Annie held up her hands, "Enough, enough." When Thor's hand reached for another one she grabbed his hand to stop him with a defeated huff of laughter. "Okay, stop. Point taken. I'll have one. Now put the other back." She reached for the bag which he again held out of her reach. "Seriously?"

Again his hand grabbed a fruit. When she opened her mouth to speak he moved it towards the bag, when she closed her mouth he stopped. When she again went to speak he started towards the bag, once more stopping when she didn't speak.

Finally, Annie held her hands up, her acceptance all over her face. She stepped back and turned slightly away from him to pretend to look at the other produce. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him drop the fruit into the now full bag and bit back a groan when she thought of how much money was in that mesh bag. Still shaking her head she caught the eye of an older lady who had been watching them.

The woman smiled at Annie and spoke fondly, "Dearie, you let your man spoil you. A few fruits aren't worth fussing over."

Annie felt her face flush, she was sure she was glowing like Rudolph's nose. She gave a wobbly smile and nodded while walking down the aisle to escape Thor's chuckle that floated behind her.

The woman looked to Thor, "And you young man, a woman who doesn't want to waste her man's hard-earned money is a keeper."

He gave a nod to the elder woman, "Thank you, My Lady. Wise words." He caught up with Annie who was looking at more fruit. He noticed she had lost some of the red flush to her cheeks but wouldn't meet his eyes. He grinned, "What next, My Lady?"

Annie rolled her eyes and gave up trying to not look at the god, it wasn't that big of a deal anyway. "Peaches? Nectarines?" It really wasn't.

Thor tilted his head, "I believe I know these. I think Loki will be willing to try them." Thor took a peach from Annie's hand and brought it to his nose. "It smells wonderful." Slowly he brought it towards Loki's face but stopped as soon as Loki moved his head back. "Would you like to smell its scent?"

Loki's eyes met Thor's blue ones, there was a softness about them as Thor nodded in encouragement. Loki took in the fruit, green eyes studying its surface before he slowly leaned forward until his nose nearly met the surface. He sniffed once then again before leaning back, once more looking up to Thor.

"Would you like to try one? Perhaps when we arrive back at Lady Annie's home?"

Loki looked back at the fruit then nodded once before looking away and taking in the rest of the view. 

Thor smiled at Loki's answer and handed the peach to Annie who had been watching the brother's interaction while hardly breathing. She took it and put it into another mesh produce bag then slid three more in. She also half filled another bag with nectarines. If Loki wanted fruit he would have fruit.

"And now?" Thor asked.

"Bread, then meat."

"Excellent. My two favorite foods." He followed her with a victorious smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did this chapter feel like it revealed enough information about Loki and Thor's relationship or did it feel like it was just fluff and filler? I try to move the plot along using the conversation between the mundane actions.   
> Are the chapters moving the story along fast enough or do they feel repetitious? Is the story moving too slow?


	38. Worshipping at the Wal Mart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long chapter of worship at the Market of Walls.

Choosing bread was easy. Since Annie had discovered Thor could eat a whole loaf himself they added four loaves of French bread into the cart. After that Thor simply pointed at a bag of rolls while saying the shape was familiar. Annie figured that was as good of a way to pick bread as she had done asking a toddler, so a large bag also went into the cart.

As she was putting the bread in the cart she caught Loki staring and she followed his line of vision to see what had caught his interest. Looking at the table she saw a display of cakes, cupcakes, and cookies, all covered in brightly colored frosting and sprinkles. She tugged the cart over to the display, Thor followed along with no hesitation.

Watching Loki's face Annie asked him, "You see something you want?" She hovered a hand over each plastic container, waiting for a reaction. He looked at her then back to the display, the pom-poms on his hat gently wobbling. There hadn't been any emotion on his face that she could detect, maybe some interest but nothing to tell her which exact one he'd prefer.

Thor picked up a container of cookies, he held it out to Loki. "What about these?" 

Loki looked at them then went back to looking at the selections. Thor shrugged and put the cookies in the cart.

"I know." Annie picked up a container of mini cupcakes, "We'll have a taste test at home. See which one you guys prefer." She picked up one of each flavor and color, setting one after the other in the cart. "That should cover your sweet tooth for a couple of days."

Thor looked at the containers, leaning down to see better. "They are so tiny." He seemed disappointed.

Annie huffed then grabbed several containers of standard-sized cupcakes which also went into the cart. She gave Thor a raised eyebrow, "Happy?"

"Yes." He looked like a kid getting, well, containers of cupcakes. Annie shook her head, she felt she was doing a lot of head shaking lately and she figured it was only starting.

After that, it was a short stroll to the meat department. Here Annie asked a very specific question. "What kind of meat do you normally eat?"

"Boar." Came Thor's prompt reply.

Annie nodded, "Okay, pork." She looked at the rows of freezer bins. "Ham. Ham is good." She picked out two large ones, pointing to each and Thor dropped them into the cart.

"These are very small boars," Thor spoke as he held the third one in his hands. It did look small in his large hands.

"Hmm, maybe you better put that one in too."

Thor nodded, he agreed.

Annie decided that three hams along with what she had bought earlier should last at least into the start of her workweek. "I think we should just go up and down every aisle, that way we can see everything and you two can pick out whatever you want." She pulled her list from her pocket, "Plus I hopefully won't forget anything."

"That sounds like a wise choice." Thor pushed the cart, glancing down at Loki. "If you see anything you desire, Brother, let us know. You can have whatever you wish."

Loki had lost some of his wide-eyed wonderment but still looked around curiously. He turned his head back and forth as he tried to see both sides of the displays. The pom-poms on his hat moved freely, wobbling as he looked around. His hands had come out from under the cape and now clasped the cart's handle, his fingers moving over the smoothness of the plastic.

Annie ended up grabbing several pounds of butter and large blocks of cheese. Apparently cheese was a favorite snack for Asgardians. Thor was enthusiastic about trying the ice cream but Annie was successful in getting him to agree to wait until they were ready to check out, he understood the concept of it melting.

Heading down another freezer aisle they looked in through each door, Thor looking amazed at the selections. "Why must you have frozen the same as you have not frozen?" He pointed one hand at a bag of frozen peaches behind a door while pointing with his other hand at the bag of peaches in their cart. 

Loki looked to where Thor was pointing then looked to Annie as if he too were waiting for her answer.

Annie nodded, "Yeah, that can be confusing." She shrugged, "I guess because the not frozen, or fresh, is meant to be eaten right away while the frozen can be eaten at any time. Plus, you can make pies at any time with frozen."

"Fruit pies?" Thor opened the glass doors and grabbed a bag, "you know how we feel about fruit pies."

Annie rolled her eyes. "We're gonna need pie crust."

Slowly, they continued, more items were added to the cart including several bags of chocolate candy. Thor said it was for Loki because of his brother's sweet tooth but Annie saw him carefully picking out a bag she was sure was for himself. Annie grabbed a bag of plain M&Ms, she thought Loki would enjoy them plus they were easy to pick up and eat whole.

They continued up and down several aisles, Annie explaining and answering each one of Thor's many questions. Each one either made Annie chuckle or realize that there were a lot of weird things about Midgardians.

While she was grabbing sugar she heard a male voice speaking close by, "Whoa, hey, badass necklace, kid!"

She turned as fast as she could to see two teenagers looking at Loki while standing only feet from him. They must have been passing by when they saw the collar around Loki's neck, Thor's cape had slipped just enough to reveal the metal snakes. Not wanting to call too much attention to the fact that she desperately didn't want the collar showing, Annie moved to Loki while forcing a smile.

"Thanks. He, uh, his dad gave it to him." Annie kept her eyes from rolling but it was close. His dad gave it to him? What a stupid thing to say! Even if it was true. She casually pulled the cape up further, not obviously hiding the collar while trying to hide the collar.

One of the boys nodded, "Cool dad."

The other nodded his own head in agreement, "Yeah, I'd love one of my own." He looked to Annie, "Would you know where he got it from?"

Thor had been a little farther down the aisle, he had returned once he realized what was being said and now he made himself known, "It was made just for him."

Both boys looked up at Thor, their eyes going wide. One said, "Custom, yeah, it looks like it."

The other boy glanced at Loki, "like I said, you're a lucky kid, that's badass."

Loki had been staring at the boys, nothing revealed in his eyes. Now he ducked his head, giving the appearance of a shy little kid embarrassed by the attention.

"He's shy." Annie quickly confirmed.

"Yeah, yeah." Both boys were staring at Thor though they slowly moved past him and on down the aisle. Annie noticed they were whispering with their heads bent towards each other, occasionally glancing over their shoulders.

She sighed, hopefully, Thor wasn't recognized though who would believe that a Norse god shopped at Wal Mart? She pulled the cape up around his neck, tucking it closer to his skin in the hopes it would stay put. 

When they got to the breakfast choices she was surprised when Thor requested oatmeal and anything that was like porridge. 

"Really? Okay." Annie grabbed a large container of oats and another of grits. "I wouldn't think you were an oatmeal kind of guy."

"It's common for breaking our fast. Loki is used to it as well. He enjoys his with honey." Thor took the boxes from Annie's hands and set them in the cart. 

"Honey. Okay, got it." She pulled some other options off the shelf, might as well give everything a try.

Pushing the cart Thor stopped to point while exclaiming, "I know these!"

Annie saw the boxes Thor was pointing to. "Pop-Tarts?"

"Yes! When I came to Midgard and met Jane, she and Darcy offered these to me. I enjoyed them very much." He reached out and took a box off the shelf, looking down at it before grabbing several other varieties and putting them all in the cart. After choosing almost one of each he stopped with a glance at Annie who had been watching him. "I really do like these."

Annie snorted, "Ya think?"

Thor looked at her sideways, "Yes, I do. Think." He glanced at Loki, his first instinct was to wait for his brother to speak out and disagree. When Loki said nothing Thor actually felt disappointed to not be insulted. 

Annie smiled, shaking her head. Again. "Come on, big guy. Let's see what else you like."

They continued shopping, talking over the differences between an item in Asgard and what they were seeing. Annie was learning that some items had similarities in both worlds. Some nuts were in both, they added a few bags of them to the cart. Annie never would have bought them and she shook her head at the price even though she chose the store brand. But she didn't say anything out loud.

By the time they had made it through the grocery section of the store, Annie was frowning at the amount in the cart. It would be a tight fit in the wagon. Very tight. They would probably be pulling a wagon piled high and she was pretty sure Thor would be the one pulling it. But that didn't stop her from grabbing two boxes of night time pull-ups and two of the day time ones. She shoved them under the cart and figured she'd just have to carry some bags home herself.

Their next stop was looking at the men's section of soaps and shampoos. Annie pointed, "This is all yours." 

Thor stood with his mouth open, he didn't even try to hide his surprise. "How- what-" He shook his head while looking up and down the aisle of choices. "You pick one. I could never decide."

"Well, what kind of hair do you have?" Annie looked up at Thor's hair.

He took his time answering, he was obviously thinking about the question and the answer. "I have a god's hair."

A bark of laughter broke free and Annie covered her mouth as she recovered. "So I'm guessing it's not dry or brittle." She grabbed several bottles of brand name three in one, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. "Here," She popped open the top. "Sniff."

Thor leaned over and sniffed tentatively. He frowned, his eyes darting to Annie to see if he could detect what she wanted him to say. She just looked at him expectantly so he decided to be diplomatic. "Good?"

Annie rolled her eyes. "Do you want to smell like this?"

"Oh." Thor shook his head, "No, not at all."

"Okay, try this one." Annie held out another bottle, the top popped up. They went through half a dozen before Thor's eyes shot open and he smiled.

"This one. This one I would have no objection to smelling like." He took the bottle from her and frowned while letting out a hum as he read the name. He looked at the bottles remaining on the shelf. "I am not certain though, perhaps I don't wish to smell like old spices. Do they have new spices?"

Annie laughed. She did and she didn't try to hold it back. Thor was looking at her with a combination of puzzlement and confusion which made the laughter deeper. "Oh man, no. That's hilarious." She took a deep breath, "I'm loving this." She shook her head, still widely smiling, "There's no new spices, just old ones. But if you like the smell then this is the one for you. And if you end up not wanting to smell like old spices," Annie chuckled once again, "Then we can always try something else next time."

Thor nodded, not fully understanding the humor Annie felt but he enjoyed her laughter. If all he could offer her in return for her hospitality was laughter at him then he would accept it with pleasure. "That sounds acceptable." He held out the bottle towards Loki. "Would you agree this is a good smell for us?"

Annie watched with interest as Loki looked from Thor to the bottle that was held out to him. He leaned forward with deliberation, his eyes on the bottle as he brought himself closer and closer. Stopping he cautiously took a sniff. Annie smiled crookedly when his little nose scrunched up and his eyes looked up at Thor. He leaned back and Annie knew just by looking at him that he didn't like Thor's choice. She wasn't sure how she knew, Loki's face didn't seem to change but there was something on his face that even Thor understood.

"You don't like it?" Thor sounded disappointed.

Annie spoke up before Thor could say anything else. "That's okay, we can get Loki his own. Let's check out the kid's section and see if something there is more his style."

They moved over an aisle and Annie waved once more, taking in all the brightly colored bottles that made up the kid's choices. There was a lot to look at.

"You'll certainly have choices, Brother." Thor pushed the cart slowly, Loki had turned his head and was staring as much as Thor was.

Annie smiled at the growing interest Loki was showing, his eyes were jumping from shelf to shelf, taking in the shapes and colors. "Okay, let's get started. Thor, do you have any idea what Loki would like?"

Thor shook his head with a glance at Loki, "No, I have no idea on any of his bathing preferences." His lips tilted upwards, "That is one of the few conversations we've never needed to have."

"Well, let's start with the basics." Annie grabbed a grape-scented bottle, opened the lid, and passed it to Thor who took a sniff himself.

He glanced at the bottle then at Annie, while saying as he held it out for Loki to sniff, "That smells like no grapes I've ever eaten." 

"Don't worry, I've never eaten any that tasted like that either."

A scrunched nose told them both that grape was a no. Bubblegum was out. Watermelon was surprisingly also not acceptable. They continued through various scents, each one earning a single sniff and scrunched up nose. With only one other bottle in her hand, Annie gave the citrus-scented bottle to Thor who held it out in front of Loki. 

Another single sniff and scrunched nose meant that was not acceptable either. 

Annie opened and handed over the last bottle then prepared to search the shelf for a scent they hadn't tried yet. Instead, she raised her eyebrows when Loki took a careful sniff then another. He looked up to Thor, there was no scrunching of his nose.

"This one?" Thor asked in surprise as he looked at the scent. "Spearmint and eucalyptus?" He took a sniff himself, quickly pulling his nose back at the strong scent then looked to Annie while handing the bottle back to her.

She sniffed it herself. Crisp and clean and cold. Those were the impressions that went through her mind. She nodded, "Smells good."

Thor looked at Loki, "Are you sure?"

Loki stared at Thor then his eyes moved over to Annie who was looking back at him. He gave a single nod then turned his head to watch as Annie grabbed a couple more bottles and set them in the cart.

"Shampoo, conditioner, and bubbles." She gave Loki a firm nod, "Good job, kiddo." 

Thor pushed the cart as he shook his head, "It would have had to be the last choice."

Their next addition to the cart was towels. Coming onto that aisle Annie waved at the selection. "Pick out a color." They came to a stop next to shelves of multi-colored choices. Loki turned his head to take in all the selections.

Thor frowned. "Drying cloths?"

"Yep. Otherwise known as towels. We need more so you get the honor of deciding the color since they're going in your bathroom." Annie looked over the choices and her eye was caught by the large beach towels hanging in a display. "This might be more your size if you don't-" She stopped talking and stared. "Holy. Heck." Annie pulled a hanging towel out. "Look."

Thor frowned until he came around to see what the picture was. Avengers. All of them. Including Thor. He stared at himself while one side of his mouth slowly began curling up in a smile. He reached out and poked the towel. "That is me."

Annie grinned, "Yep, that is you." She pulled two off the shelf. "One for each of you."

Thor accepted the towels but then reached over and took another from the shelf. He looked at Annie while softly saying, "One for each of us."

Annie sighed, "Okay, one for each of us." She emphasized the last word while nodding as she smiled. Bossy Prince. "But you still need regular towels, so which color."

Thor looked over the selections and easily make his choice. Red for himself, green for Loki. 

Annie grabbed bath towels, hand towels, and wash clothes, two of each in each color. Then stared at what she had put in the cart before turning and grabbing another one of each. Laundry day was going to be every day otherwise. She noticed Loki was still staring at the shelf. 

"What do you see, buddy?" She looked to where Loki was looking, his eyes fixed on something. Following his gaze, she took in the bright blue color of the towel and pulled it from the shelf to set it before him. "You like this color?"

From under the cape one of Loki's hands moved and came into view, he poked a little finger at the cloth, rubbing its tip back and forth. After several seconds his hand grasped the towel and he looked at Annie and gave her a soft nod.

"Okay, we can change the green to blue."

"No," Thor spoke without thinking. Without meaning to. He was frowning down at Loki, this was wrong. All wrong. "Brother, your color is green, not blue."

Annie frowned as Loki's hand let go of the towel and slipped back under Thor's cape, his little head dropping until his chin nearly rested on his chest. Annie looked at Thor, speaking firmly, "It's okay, he can have blue if he wants it."

Thor shook his head. "You don't understand. Our mother chose his color when he was a babe. She chose green, it's the color he's identified by. To chose blue," Thor frowned while looking helpless, "It's not his color." He ended with weakly.

"Well, he seems to prefer the color blue. That's what happens when someone picks a color for a baby, they just might grow up liking a different one." Annie took in Thor's melancholy, she didn't understand what was the big deal but obviously, it was a big deal, at least to Thor. "How about we split the difference? Since Loki seems to use a lot of towels anyway." Annie took another three sets of the blue from the shelf and set them with the others in the cart. She ignored the desire to groan at how much space all their purchases were taking up. 

Thor sighed. He supposed this compromise was acceptable though it didn't change the feeling of dread that was beginning to form inside him. Loki should never choose a color other than his green. Green should come naturally to him, without thought. He had always taken pride in his color, an offer of any other would bring about a disdainful sneer of disgust and a sharp refusal. For him to pick blue? That meant something inside Loki was different than it should be. And that was wrong. And unsettling.

"We're going to need to take the wagon out of the cart if we buy much more." Annie started walking, "We'll be loaded down like pack horses anyway."

"Do not worry, I can carry much more than a horse." Thor scoffed, "I can carry a horse."

"Well, I hope we don't buy that much." Annie shook her head, again. "Okay, now, onward." Annie let the excitement build inside her, she could not wait to see Thor's face when he saw the Avengers display. Hopefully, it would put a smile back on his face and lighten his suddenly dampened spirit. She would have to ask later about the significance of these colors, what it meant in Asgard to have a color represent you.

Walking past the men's section Annie remembered something, "Hey, first let's check out if they have slippers in your size." She looked up at Thor and was relieved to see the start of a smile on his face.

They went into the right section, looking through all the slippers and house shoes. Annie didn't see a hanging Avengers display like there was in the boy's clothes but she did see a small poster with the Avengers on it. "Look." She pointed with a smile.

Thor followed her finger and his eyes widened as he smiled when he saw the group of Avengers on the poster. Stopping in front of it he spoke softly, "I don't remember seeing this photo before, of all of us together."

Annie shrugged closely, "It's probably a computerized one, taking the best pictures of all of you and putting it together in one." She nodded her head, "Check this out."

Thor looked at the display, t-shirts, hats and yes, on the bottom there were several choices of slippers and house shoes. He pulled out a pair that matched Loki's, Mjolnir's hammerhead. He slipped his hands into them and hit the soles together then frowned when there was no sound.

"These are broken."

Annie glanced at them then pulled out another pair. She did the same with the same result. No sounds came from them. "Huh." She looked at the tag, "It doesn't say anything about having sounds. I guess someone decided grown-ups wouldn't want noise every time they took a step." She couldn't help her smile of commiseration at Thor's look of disappointment.

"But I would like the sounds." He sounded dejected but still put the slippers in the cart.

Annie reached out and picked up a black cap with a red capital A on the front. "How about a hat? You could use it to disguise yourself." She held it out to him.

Thor took it thoughtfully. "Would a simple hat conceal me?" He put it on, pulling it down enough to nearly cover his eyes then looked at Annie for her thoughts.

For her part, Annie raised her eyebrows. "Huh, not bad." She gave him a lopsided grin, "See, your heads not that big."

Thor returned her grin with a pleased smile of his own. He nodded but didn't remove the hat, "I like it. I feel much more hidden. And Midgardian."

"Good because you look it. Midgardian." Annie looked to Loki who was staring at Thor. "What do you think? Does your brother look like himself?"

Loki stared at Thor, his eyes ran over his brother's face and shoulders. Once he was looking back into Thor's blue eyes he shook his head while never breaking eye contact. Thor's smile slipped slightly, he felt there was more to Loki's shaking his head than simply saying Thor was disguised. 

Annie never noticed Thor's response, "Yeah, it's perfect. Come on, I have something to show you. You're gonna be amazed." They walked together towards the boy's section, Thor pushing the cart while glancing down at Loki who had gone back to looking around.

So distracted was Thor that he didn't notice when Annie stopped and almost walked past her. When he did stop he was even with her and followed her grinning face to see what she was looking at. He felt his whole being shiver as if he'd been touched by an icy gust.

Annie's eyes darted between the displays and Thor's face. She wanted to see his every reaction but at the moment he just stood still, his eyes the only movement coming from him. She had noticed that he did that often when something had taken him utterly by surprise. As if he needed to take in every detail and then think about it before speaking. Finally, he moved around the cart as he slowly walked forward, still looking at everything.

Thor gazed at the cardboard cut out of himself. He moved closer as if in a reluctant spell, slowly and carefully. When he stopped he let his eyes roam over himself, seeing every detail. 

Annie pushed the cart then turned it so Loki was facing the displays. His eyes moved first to the picture of Hulk coming out from the wall. There was the barest hint of his eyes widening before he moved on to look up at Iron Man overhead. When he looked to Steve his mouth dropped open slightly and this time, the widening of his eyes was visible. Annie moved the cart closer to Thor so Loki was able to see around him and view the cardboard cutout of his brother. Now Annie could see a real reaction by Loki. It was one of his most obvious yet. His mouth opened even more and his eyebrows rose as high as they could as he opened his eyes wide. 

Annie thought this must be Loki's look of shock and she nearly laughed out loud with happiness. "Pretty impressive, yeah?" 

She was asking Loki but it was Thor who answered. "Yes." The voice was breathy, he still seemed awestruck. "I miss Mjolnir." There was a forlorn tone in his voice.

Annie came forward to stand closer to him, she looked down at the hammer that was in cardboard Thor's hand. "I didn't even think that I hadn't seen you with it. Where is it?"

"I left her in my rooms in Stark's tower." He sighed quietly, "Mjolnir has magic that Heimdall can observe. I couldn't bring her with us and remain unseen." He shrugged, "I can conceal it for a time but not while I sleep."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to depress you." Annie glanced over at Loki who was listening, his expression had gone back to his normal one of near detachment. "I thought you'd get a kick out of this."

Thor shook himself, he wouldn't think of Mjolnir, not right now, there was no point. He allowed himself to faintly smile, "A kick?"

Annie looked up at Thor, "A thrill, feel happy."

"Oh, I do. Feel happy." He moved forward, past his cutout, and on to everything else. "I actually feel honored and close to overwhelmed." He picked up a red sweatshirt with Mjolnir on it, lightning bolts shooting out from it. Looking around he saw his face along with all the other Avengers on everything. Walking around it felt like offerings at an altar. As though they were in a temple to the Avengers. He looked at Annie, speaking in a near whisper, "This feels like worship."

Annie huffed a surprised laugh out as she looked around, making sure no one was close enough to overhear them, "I guess it could be seen that way. Though I think most people would say that they just like you guys. And want to wear your face on their chest." 

Looking around Thor nodded, "Yes, that would appear to be true." He reached out to pick a zip-up hoodie off of a round fixture, it was blue with a Captain America shield on the back. He brought it over to Loki, "It's blue." He held it out, "Would you like to wear Steve's emblem?"

Loki looked down at the fabric Thor had draped in his lap, the thick fabric bright against the red of Thor's cape. He studied it for what seemed like a long moment then shook his head without looking up. His pom-pom shaking back and forth.

Thor frowned, the color was nearly the same as the towel color Loki had chosen. Thor knelt, resting a knee on the hard floor so he could look up into his brother's face. Loki's eyes flickered to Thor's then away, Thor felt a guilty tug in his chest." I apologize for speaking out against your choice of color for your bathing cloths. It was not my place to disagree with you." Loki's eyes looked at Thor before he went back to staring at the hoodie. "Loki," Thor's voice was so low that Annie could hardly hear it but she did recognize the remorse in the tone. "Please, if you wish this then accept it."

Loki was still for another moment, just long enough for Thor to begin to despair, before movement happened under the cape as he brought his hand forward. A finger poked out to run over the fabric, rubbing back and forth as Loki felt the material. His eyes moved over to look at Thor, the two brothers meeting each other's gaze. Loki then slightly nodded his head, his hand fisting the material.

Both Thor and Annie exhaled, their eyes meeting. Neither had realized that they had been holding their breath while waiting for a reaction from Loki. Thor stood up, leaned forward, he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Loki's knit cap. Under his breath, he whispered, "Thank you, Brother."

Annie sniffed. Don't cry don't cry don't cry. She sniffed again and wiped at watery eyes. Damn it, no crying at Wal Mart. "Okay!" She forced her chipper cheerleader tone into her voice. "Let's see if there's anything else we can get." She moved forward, "I think we can go with another set of PJs." She pulled a pair of blue Captain America ones out to hold up. "How about these?"

They spent nearly fifteen minutes going through almost every option available. Loki ended up with the set of Captain America PJs along with a ball cap that matched Thor's. He also got several sets of soft lounging pants, more fuzzy socks which came in a multi-pack with one pair in each Avengers color. A pack of regular socks that were white but had the Avenger colors on the toe and heels and a scarf that Thor picked out. Blue and red, it would cover the collar much better than always wearing Thor's cape. A handful of turtlenecks with the Avenger's A on the neck would also help conceal the collar.

By the time they were done Annie refused to look at the shopping cart, it was insane with clothes hanging over the sides. She wasn't even going to think about how high the wagon would be piled, maybe they should buy a couple of suitcases.

Walking down one of the main aisles towards the checkout, Annie checked her list again, making sure she had gotten everything this time. Although where they would put it she had no clue, if they had forgotten something they would just have to come back.

Annie glanced over towards Loki only for her attention to be captured by the section they were passing. "Oh, we have to stop." She looked up at Thor as a grin slowly came over her face, "Look." She pointed and Thor followed her finger's direction.

"Oh." His voice was a pushed out whisper.

"Yeah, oh is right." She pushed the cart towards the toy section, specifically, the aisle where hanging above it was a huge Avengers display. An aisle with toys dedicated to the Avengers. What could be better?

Looking up at the hanging cardboard cut out that was the same as the poster he had seen in the men's section, Thor again felt he was entering some sort of Midgardian temple. Especially as they passed underneath it, like some archway into the modern Midgardian's world of worship. However, that idea was momentarily pushed aside when he observed the toys. So very many toys.

Annie took in all the action figures and playsets. Packs of cars, plush dolls of each Avenger, and even costumes. Little Iron Man gloves, green fists like Hulks, shields like Captain America's. It was a marketer's fantasy of every toy they could make. 

However, Thor's attention was captivated by all the little Thor's, the Mjolnir's, and even little red capes for the kid that wanted to dress up as their favorite hero. Thor walked the aisle in silence, one hand stretched out, almost close enough to run his fingers over each item but not quite. When he got to the end he stopped and turned back.

Annie had been watching the god closely, wondering how he would take all of this in considering how he had reacted to the display of clothes. She supposed this was even more like a religion to him, she was sure that there were statues in Asgard. He had to be familiar with idols and this had to look a lot like that. 

Thor reached out and slipped a blister pack from a hook, looking down at the figure of himself enclosed in the plastic. It was dressed in his red cape and armor, holding a tiny Mjolnir in his arm raised above his head. Thor didn't know what he was feeling, for once he couldn't put a name to his emotions. Perhaps he was just stunned at the mortal's ability to deem all this as child's play, he knew the truth was that this was far from games. Despite everything they believed, the mortals were worshipping when they used these items. He didn't know where the small burst of a laugh came from as he thought about an entirely new generation of worshippers.

His eyes met Annie's, "Midgardian's often made figures to represent the gods of Asgard and placed them in temples dedicated to us. It's been a long time since I had worshippers." He jerkily waved his hand at the wall of toys. "Even if they are children."

Annie felt her heart beating solidly in her chest, it was one thing to think of Thor as a god, it was another thing entirely to have him talk about people actually worshipping him in a temple dedicated to him. "I, wow, I don't know what to say."

The god let out a breath of quiet laughter though he didn't look amused at all. He was still looking at everything on display.

Annie watched as Thor's eyes rose to meet hers, she thought he looked close to overwhelmed. "You okay?" Her voice was quiet.

Before he could speak a woman's voice asked, "What happened to him?" Her tone was a cross between curiosity and revulsion.

Both Thor and Annie had been so intently focused that they hadn't noticed any other shoppers. Now they looked over to see a woman who had stopped pushing her cart and was now staring at Loki, a frown on her face. A small boy sat in the seat of the cart, he was staring at Loki.

Again before either could make any sort of reply the woman said, "To his face, his mouth."

Annie drew herself up and moved in front of Loki, forcing the woman to move. "None of your business." 

The woman scoffed while snarling at Annie, "I was just wondering. He looks horrible."

Annie grabbed the woman's cart and shoved it further down the aisle. "Okay, enough with your rudeness. You can keep on moving." The woman was about to say something when Annie leaned forward and growled out, "If you know what's good for you you'll keep going because I don't have a problem making you." Annie narrowed her eyes, she had no intention of putting up with this woman's bitchiness even with a kid in her cart. 

The woman scowled her and with a final glance at Loki who now had his head dropped low, she pushed her cart down the aisle and around the corner.

Annie huffed out a shaky breath then turned to look at Loki, his chin was low against his chest, she couldn't even see his face at all. She bent over to be able to look up to see his expression, his face was blank. "Hey, buddy." Annie's voice was low and soothing. "I'm sorry that woman was so mean to you." She didn't know what else to say to him. She couldn't tell him there was nothing wrong with his face, she had tried to cover the scars before they left home so he knew they were there. "Some people are just stupid and rude."

Thor had rested his hand on Loki's back when the woman had started speaking, now he added his words to Annie's. "Loki." He crouched down to look up into his brother's face, "Your scars show your bravery. You fought the guards, you survived. A warrior knows there is no shame in the signs of victory." Thor made his voice forceful though still gentle, "Do you believe me, Brother?"

Loki's eyes moved from Annie's face to Thor's, he was searching to see the truth of their words. Under Thor's cape, they could see the movement of his hands. A little quivering huff of breath blew out of his nose before he gave a barely perceptible nod. He pulled in a still quivering breath, his shoulders moving.

Annie and Thor stood, she wanted to give Loki a tight hug but didn't. She wasn't sure if she should touch him, even a pat on the back seemed like it could be invading his space. She was thankful that Thor didn't have the same uncertainty when he hugged Loki, kneeling enough to rest his face against Loki's head.

Annie decided to move the conversation to something more pleasant. "So how about we find something to reward Loki's bravery?" She just couldn't use her fake cheerleader voice but she did try to sound positive.

Nodding his head Thor caught sight of the plush figures. He rehung the action figure and moved to pick the one of himself up. It was soft in his hands, the armor all fabric and felt. His long hair was like yarn, even Mjolnir was soft and squishable. He glanced back at the other figures and picked them up as well, filling both hands with Iron Man, Hulk, and Captain America. He held them out to Loki.

"Which would you like, Brother?" His voice was soft, still not recovered from his thoughts.

Annie smiled, "Hey, look at that. You get to pick out your own." She motioned with her head towards the stuffed figures Thor held out towards Loki.

Loki's eyes went from staring at Thor to looking down at the figures. He studied each one, there was no recognition on his face. He looked back at Thor but remained still, not making a move to pick one.

Thor moved closer to Loki, he held out Iron Man, "This one is Tony." Next came Hulk, "Here is Bruce." He moved Captain America closer to Loki while wagging it back and forth. "And this one is Steve. And this is me." He tapped himself with a finger, all he could spare with his hands full.

Loki was looking at each figure when Thor spoke. The tiny frown between his eyes growing larger as Thor spoke each name.

Thor huffed a laugh when he realized Loki's confusion. "Tony is inside a suit of metal, his face concealed behind a helmet. This is Bruce but when his beast inside takes control, this is the form he becomes. And Steve wears this uniform with his face covered." Thor watched as Loki heard his words, the frown fading away.

Annie waited to see if Thor's explanation made any difference. She didn't care which one Loki chose though she knew Thor would be happiest if Loki chose his figure. They both watched as Loki's hands appeared from under the cape and inched out until they grasped one, his fingers rubbing against the green fabric of Hulk skin.

Thor couldn't help but feel disappointment mixed with surprise. He would have never chosen Hulk as the one Loki would pick. But then it made sense, this Loki had no memory of the trauma inflicted in that final fight where Hulk had battered his body into the floor of Stark's Tower. As he was pulling back he stopped when one of Loki's hands darted out and tightly grasped his own figure. The boy pulled it firmly from his hand then squeezed both soft forms against his chest, lowering his face to rub against the fabric like a cat.

Annie huffed out a shaky laugh, "Wow, two. Okay." She glanced at Thor who was putting the others back while obviously trying to get his emotions under control. He didn't bother trying to hide his pleased smile though, just the emotions that made his eyes tear up. To give Thor a moment to recover she reached out and grabbed a pack of cars from a display hook. "Here, a boy needs some cars, can't have a childhood without them." She set them next to Loki on his seat then looked over the cart. "We're never going to get all this home in one trip." She sighed.

Thor sniffed, he had gotten himself under control, "Don't worry, My Lady. We will manage."

Annie shook her head. "I'm glad you're optimistic because I have my doubts. We better check out or we'll never leave."

Thor nodded, "Yes, I think we have done well for our first purchases." He looked longingly at the toys as they walked down the aisle. "We can always come back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of my Wal Mart shopping trip? I tried to put different types of people in the store, how did I do? Any suggestions on who they should meet next time? Because you know there will be a next time...


	39. Pretty Little Maid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, back in Asgard...

In the halls of Asgard, every Asgardian had their place. Starting at the top was of course Odin AllFather and Frigga AllMother, then the two Princes, Thor and Loki. After them came all the nobles, some of which also lived in the palace along with the royal family. Wealthy families, merchants, and citizens all had representatives living within the walls of the grounds. They all considered themselves the most important people of palace life. However, there was one group of people that knew they were the most important people.

The three chambermaids easily carried the linens in their arms down the corridor. They were quietly chatting to each other about various tasks and which of the guests were the most difficult to serve. Coming to a dim hall that led off the one they had been traveling two of the young maids continued however the third entered the side hall, going for several steps before being called to.

"Arna!" Myrun called sharply. "This way." Myrun had a frown on her face, they all knew the halls perfectly.

Arna shook her head, "I'm late. I'm going to cross over."

Myrun and Solva exchanged looks, "You'll have to pass his chambers." Myrun hissed in a whisper.

Arna shrugged, "I'm not afraid." She raised her chin defiantly then negated her words by adding, "Besides, there's a guard at the far end by Prince Thor's chambers."

Again the two maids passed a look between them, Solva speaking up, "We'll go with you."

"What?" Myrun wasn't going to be volunteered without comment. "No. I'm not going go that way." She took a step back to emphasize her words.

"Oh, Myrun. He's not here, what can he do?" Arna walked backward while looking at her two friends. She gave a cocky grin, "Have some adventure!"

Myrun watched as Solva moved quickly to catch up with Arna then looked longingly at the way she wanted to go. Looking back to see her friends fading from sight she called out while moving after them, "Wait for me!"

They said nothing by some unstated agreement, keeping quiet even as they walked in the dimness. Only a few torches were lit along this end of the passage, leaving large lengths in the gloom. The three were aware they were coming closer to a doorway, they could see the outline. 

Myrun grabbed Solva's arm tightly, her body unknowingly moving closer to the far wall and away from the danger. Arna forced herself to keep her hands gripped on the linens, with no thought to wrinkling them. As the three came abreast of the door they all seemed to stop at the same time.

The door was open, not fully but enough that a person could slip past though not enough to see straight inside. They all strained their necks to peek in but it was dark and they saw nothing. Arna moved closer and Solva grabbed her, squeezing her arm tightly.

"What are you doing?" Her voice was a hoarse whisper though she tried to keep as quiet as she could. Even still it was easy to hear the sense of trepidation in her tone.

Speaking slightly louder Arna answered, "I just want to see." She noticed the missing handle. "I can just push it open."

"No. Let's just keep going." There was a pleading in Myrun's voice, "Arna!"

Arna ignored her friend and stepped closer to the large door, noticing the shadows of the knotwork. She thought they moved yet she still came up close enough to put her hand on the surface of the door. Nothing happened and she pushed, the door soundlessly opened into the room. Breathing shallowly she gave a last little push, the door swung fully open to reveal the interior of the room.

Standing in the doorway Arna felt herself finally take a shuddering breath that rushed out before she took another one. Nothing happened. There was no act of terror that came to punish her for this act of trespass. She felt her friends come up behind her, one of them clutching at the back of her work frock. The hand tightened as she leaned closer, passing over the door's thresh hold.

"Arna." One of her friends breathed out but it was so quiet she would never know which one said it.

She spoke over her shoulder, nearly just as quiet. "I just want to see. A little further." There were squeaks of protest from behind her however when she moved forward both girls followed her, nearly stepping on her heels they were so close. 

The room was dark, the huge windows covered in thick drapes, little was discernable in the near blackness of the room. Several more steps brought them further into the room, a faint smell of forests and winter came to them. The smell of spicy ice mint seemed to waft over them and Arna felt someone tug again on her frock.

Arna pulled away, this time no one followed her as she walked further into the room, her eyes having adjusted to the dark enough to make out faint shapes and shadows of furniture. She wanted to see more than just chairs and couches though. Her curiosity grew but had no time to fully bloom before all three were blinded by a brilliant green light that seemed to explode from every corner of the room at once.

With terrified screams, the three turned to escape but the door slammed shut and they all crashed into. There was nothing to grab onto, the place where the latch should be was empty. The linens fell to their feet to be trampled, forgotten in their fear they stood on them while fists pounded at the door. Outside in the hall, not a sound was heard.

Inside the chamber was lit by the wild undulations of wisps of green magic as it circled the room. The speed it flew was frightening, the three girls stared upwards in their panic while watching with huge eyes.

"What have we here? Naughty maids?"

The three all looked deeper into the room where their eyes fell on the figure that had appeared before them without notice. Loki, Prince of Asgard in all his disturbed and leering self. Dressed in formal garb, the maids had never seen him dressed in battle leathers and metal armor like this. Now he stalked forward as though they were little mice cornered by a cruel cat, the realization striking all three at once.

Solva and Myrun were caught in screams of prayer which did nothing to assist them. Loki made a motion, green magic-like dust fell over them, and their eyes rolled back in their heads as they sank to the floor in a painful heap. Arna pressed back against the door, her fingers scratching at the wood while watching the Dark Prince. She felt as though she had no breath left in her body.

A feverishly debased smile crept over his face as he enjoyed the scene before him, two maids on the floor while the third appeared ready to join them. He continued his path closer, one intimidating step at a time.

Arna whimpered in anticipation as she watched the Princes's figure steadily come closer until he stopped so near she could see the green in his eyes even in the faint light of his still moving magic. It cast a monstrous flicker against his pale skin, always moving which made his skin appear to move as well. "Please." Her breath whispered out on another whimper.

She saw him raise his hand as though to stroke her cheek but he didn't touch her. Licking his lips he smiled unmercifully, "Ah, little one, what do you beg so prettily for?" He spoke tauntingly, as though he actually cared.

"Please don't k-kill me, Your Highness." Arna forced the words past numb lips. She stared into those eyes and felt cold seeping into her very heart. There was no concern or benevolence in them.

The green eyes roamed over the maid's body in a perverse inspection. "Very well, my little maid. What do you offer in return for your life?" A corner of his mouth turned up with no sign of humor. "Think carefully and offer something of equal value."

"Anything, your Highness."

The mouth turned fully up though there was nothing joyous about it though the eyes held a harsh victory in them. "Anything?"

Arna nodded, she could no longer speak, nor could she look away from those eyes.

"You swear your oath? Anything?" He looked at her with a hunger in his eyes. "Swear it!"

Another nod. "I do swear."

"Very well. If you're offering then who am I to refuse such a pleasant gift." Loki reared back, no longer leering over the maid but now standing tall as he glanced down at the still forms of the other maids. 

A small splinter of magic separated from the main and settled above Arna for just a moment before bursting into tiny sparks which settled down over the maid. She felt them tingle as they touched then sank down into her.

"Bound by your oath and my magic." Loki stepped back from Arna, a contemplative look now over his face, all traces of the earlier madness was gone. Now he spoke in a perfectly calm voice as if he were simply telling her to fetch him wine. "Now, we will talk and you will obey." He turned away from her and walked further into his room. "Come forth."

Arna looked to Solva and Myrun laying at her feet. The two appeared to be sleeping, she could see their chest rise and fall. Still, Arna made no move to follow the Prince, she continued to press back against the door. Her mind was stuttering in thoughts, trying to understand why the Prince was in his chambers when he should be in the dungeon.

"Come here!" The voice was sharper now. "Your fellow curious companions are in no danger."

Arna leaned forward as if to push away from leaning against the door however she had to force her body to actually leave the false feeling of safety. She did not like the absence of something solid against her back. Taking several steps further into the room she clasped her hands tightly together.

Loki watched in amusement, maids this age were such silly things. "You trespassed in my chambers. Why?" He allowed no sign of compassion into his tone though he was pleased that the trap he had set for any overly curious servant. At least some good could come out of his fatheaded brother's laziness in not repairing the latch prior to running off.

Arna swallowed as she tried to speak but her throat felt too dry, the words were stuck. She tried again as the Prince stared at her. The chamber was still being lit by his magic though it had stopped its violent movements and now circled rather lazily in the room. The faint light did nothing to ease her fear. "I- I was curious. As you said." She bowed her head, her hands clenching each other. "I'm so sorry, your Highness." She glanced up at him though she kept her head bowed, "Please don't kill me." She thought of Solva and Myrun, "Us, please don't kill us."

Loki grinned, it was both fearsome and mischievous at the same time. "Kill you? I have no intention to kill you." His smile grew. "You my dear are going to help me."

Arna's eyes widened even though she thought they could get no larger. "Help you?" Her voice came out in a dry whisper. The tone was clear. She was a maid. He was a prince.

Loki nodded, "Yes, help me." He folded his hands behind him as though he were about to give a lecture then began pacing. Arna's eyes never left him, she was an attentive student. "As you can imagine, I can not leave my chambers." Loki glanced at her, she didn't disagree or look confused so he assumed this made sense to her. He assumed because he was being searched for since his escape. Well, technically it would be a kidnapping from the dungeons by Thor however Loki would be gracious and not hold it against the buffoon. After all, he was certain that even as a child he had no desire to remain imprisoned.

He continued, "You will be my eyes and ears. I want to know what is going on beyond these rooms." He looked sharply at the girl. "You will report to me each day what the rumors are." His eyes narrowed, "Do you understand me, girl?"

Arna nodded, if palace gossip and information was all he wanted then she would gladly give it. "Yes, Your highness." She spoke eagerly, this she could do.

"And you will tell no one." He abruptly stalked closer to her, again in her face. "Do you understand? No. One." There was a clear threat in his words and tone.

Again Arna bobbed her head up and down in agreement. "Of course. Tell no one."

Loki nodded while studying her face. "What is your name, curious little maid?"

"Arna, Your Highness." She licked dry lips, "Gilndotter."

Loki narrowed his eyes thoughtfully for several seconds, his eyes unfocusing slightly then he asked, "You're Dalen's daughter? Who works in the kitchens?"

Arna felt a jolt of shock that the Prince would know her mother, instead of speaking she nodded.

Loki let a smile slip-free, "She swings a wooden spoon quite handily." 

Arna couldn't hold back a short gasp of near humor, "Yes, she does." He looked to her again, "Your Highness."

Clearing his face Loki asked the question that both Thor and Frigga had refused to answer. He needed to know what he had to work with. He needed to know what was happening. "Tell me why I was in the dungeon."

"Your Highness?" Arna frowned in confusion.

Loki scowled, "If your hearing is damaged, girl, I may not have a use for you if you can't tell me what whispers are about the palace." He grinned at her fear, "Tell me why I was in the dungeon, girl. Why was I put there?" His voice was commanding and Arna answered with all the speed of one used to being ordered about.

"You attacked Prince Thor." Arna didn't understand why the Prince would want her to repeat what he surely knew but if that was what he wanted then that was what she would do.

The shock on his face puzzled her, if she took his reaction as it appeared, then this news seemed to be unknown to him. He stared at her, his mouth open though moving slightly as he seemed to be searching for words.

"What?" The question was a breathy whisper. "What did you say?"

Now Arna wasn't sure what she should say though all she could think of was to repeat herself, "You tried to murder his Highness." She struggled to call moisture into her painfully dry mouth. "On Midgard, you sent the destroyer after him. Your Highness."

Loki stared at the maid, again he knew her words to be true. He turned away from her, one hand harshly pressing into the palm of his other. He tugged at the skin without awareness. The maid was telling the truth but that made her words no less confounding. He kept his questions behind his teeth, his lips pressed firmly shut. He paced in the room, his thoughts spinning wildly. He needed to ponder what the girl had said, but first, he needed to calm his thoughts. His magic was once more angrily circling the room close to the ceiling. In this state, he could easily overlook something important.

Arna watched fearfully as the Prince's magic swept down to pass much too close to her. She ducked with a whine, raising her hands over her head in what she knew was no real protection.

Loki stopped pacing. His words were clipped when he spoke, "Go. Take your friends with you and go." He made a sharp motion towards Solva and Myrun. "Return tonight after all are asleep."

Arna followed his gesture and looked over her shoulder, Solva and Myrun stirred. She looked back at the Prince. "You want us to return?"

Loki stalked forward speaking as he did. "No. I want you to return, my little spy. You alone. Tonight." He stopped in front of her, glaring down into her frightened face. "And don't think to play me false and break your oath. That would be most unpleasant for you."

Arna shook her head, "No, Your Highness. I will return." She refused to turn her back to him and stepped backward to the door. She saw leering humor cross the Princes face as he realized she was too afraid to turn away from him. "What of Solva and Myrun? They saw you."

Loki gave an elegant wave of dismissal with one hand, "They will remember nothing that occurred in these rooms." Another wave had them pulled away from the door enough so that it could swing open, revealing the empty hall. There was another not so gentle push and both Solva and Myrun were moved into the hall still in a graceless tangle of limbs.

Arna reached for the linens that had been stretched out in a trail, wrinkled and useless now. Before she could touch them they appeared before her neatly folded, wrinkle-free. She gasped at this display of magic. This act was concerning her work, and to see the damage undone shook her. She scooped up all the linens in her arms as she backed out into the hall where Solva and Myrun were waking with groans.

Loki chuckled mockingly, "All this magic and folded sheets are what impresses you?" He shook his head with condescension, "Go on, little maid. Collect your friends and finish your work." He came to the doorway as she clutched the fabric to herself. "Just remember what I told you."

Arna nodded quickly, "Tell no one. Return tonight."

Loki gave her a threatening grin, "Good girl."

Arna yelped when the door slammed shut and appeared to go right through the Prince. The hall was dark, the only noise was from Solva and Myrun as they struggled to sit up. Arna moved to help them to their feet as best she could with her arms full.

Myrun asked in a trembling voice, "What-what happened?"

Arna tried to keep her tone teasing but thought her voice still sounded unlike her, "A breeze must have slammed the door shut. You fainted, both of you. I think you brought yourself to hysterics."

The two were staring at the door in fear, they backed away while grasping Arna and pulling her with them. "Come away from here." Solva tugged on Arna's arm.

"We told you we shouldn't come this way." Myrun's voice was accusing. 

Arna followed, allowing herself to be swiftly tugged down the hall, each grabbing at linens as they nearly ran towards the lighter end of the hall and on to the main corridor. She gave one shuddering look behind her then escaped.

Behind the closed door, Loki paced, his eyes downcast as he muttered aloud. "Why? Why would I do this? And how?" He stopped, staring intensely towards the floor but seeing nothing. "Why keep this information from me?" He raised his head to look up at his magic that twisted in agitation. "Something larger has happened. But what?" He began pacing again as his thoughts tried to solve the puzzle. It was obvious that he would need more information so he worked on questions he would need answers to. Tonight couldn't come soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, I was able to make clear that "illusion" Loki is unable to leave these rooms. He's a manifestation of the "real" Loki created as a magical ward against trespassers. Kind of like a guard dog inside of a yard, his boundaries are Loki's rooms.


	40. We Are Wal-Mart People

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've enjoyed Wal-Mart but have to admit I'm glad to be heading back to the apartment. It's been a long trip.

Thor pushed the shopping cart and Annie walked beside him, keeping a close eye on Loki to see if he showed any signs of distress due to that nasty woman's comments. He didn't seem to be upset, he still had both the Thor and Hulk stuffies tucked under his chin while he looked around with interest. One finger rhythmically rubbed at the soft fabric.

Thor was quiet as he studied Loki, looking down while glancing up to see where he was directing the metal wagon. It was amusing yet troubling to see how many Midgardian's didn't pay attention to where they were going. He assumed that these mortals were also some of the drivers of the vehicles outside, and he hoped they were more aware while operating them. When he did take his eyes from his path to look at Loki, he was pleased to see his brother seemed to have taken no obvious offense at the rude mortal's words. They may not have visibly bothered Loki but they certainly bothered him. He had allowed Annie to defend Loki because he knew his own defense would be too aggressive. He had wanted to speak loudly of her ignorance and tell her that Loki didn't deserve her scorn.

Annie turned her head slightly to look at Thor, he was oddly subdued and she felt even more anger at that bitch of a woman. She knew Thor's somber behavior was because of that woman's words. Why people couldn't just keep their evil thoughts from coming out of their mouths she couldn't understand. No one needed to hear them.

She tried to think of something to distract Thor."Hey, what do you feel like eating for dinner? I can make a couple of roasts."

Thor looked down at Annie, a soft smile slipping over his face. "Lady Annie, we will enjoy whatever meal you prepare. I would only ask that you take no action that is tiresome to you."

Annie snorted, "Well I'm also going to eat whatever I cook so it's no bother." She looked ahead with her own lazy smile, "I'll make the roasts, toss some potatoes and carrots in too and we'll be set." The smile fell from her face and her eyes narrowed.

Thor noticed and followed Annie's gaze to see what had upset her. He instantly recognized the woman who had spoken so ill-mannerly about Loki. She was standing amongst displays of jewelry, picking up items while speaking on the phone. She didn't look up as they walked past her.

With a hum of repugnance, Annie forced herself to not say anything. She wanted to, she really did. Nope, nope, nope. You need to be a good example for Loki. She rolled her eyes heavenward while shaking her head. "Not worth it." She said under her breath.

They stepped into a checkout line and Annie moved to begin unloading their cart. "I don't know how we're going to get all this home."

Thor grinned, "I told you, we will manage just fine. Don't distress yourself over it." He set a few items on the belt and watched as it moved everything towards the clerk. His eyebrows rose while inquiring, "You say Midgard has no magic yet-" He waved his hand, "How is this done?"

Annie glanced at what he was talking about, "The conveyer belt? The clerk turns it on and then it stops when the first thing goes between a beam." She set more on the belt and saw Thor's impressed expression. "I only know that because I've had to fix a few of them."

"I thought you were the Goddess of Home Repair? This is not a home."

Annie gave a huff of laughter, she struggled to pull on her wagon, trying to get it out of the cart. Thor reached over and easily did it for her. "My boss doesn't turn a job down no matter where it is." Taking the wagon out of Thor's hands, she set it on the floor then grabbed all the empty shopping bags from the cart with a sigh. There weren't nearly enough of them to fit everything they were buying. "And at least it's interesting to work on something different."

Thor studied Annie, "You find little of interest in your work?"

She shrugged, "It's a job. And I'm good at it." She grinned at Thor, "Plus it pays the bills." Annie pulled the shopping cart further up the narrow aisle space so she could get the wagon free. The clerk was ringing up Loki's clothes and Annie started putting them in the bags. She stuffed each one, cramming as much in as she could get and even going slightly higher than the edges. She laid each bag in the wagon as if she were putting together bricks, fitting them tightly together.

Thor continued unloading the cart, watching as they moved away from him. Midgardian magic. Finally, the cart was empty, the only items left were the Thor and Hulk plush figures that Loki was still holding tightly. Thor reached out and gently tugged on Hulk's leg. "I need to take these from you. They must be paid for."

Loki had been watching the unloading with interest, watching every movement with wide eyes. Now he tightened his grip on the toys, dropping his chin down to rub his cheek on them. His little fingers dug into the soft fabric, wiggling back and forth.

Annie was pulling out her wallet, still getting a jolt when she looked inside and saw all those hundred dollar bills. She felt like she should be hunched over her wallet, hiding the amount from view. She glanced at the total then forced herself to look away. Nope nope nope. Not gonna think about the total, which so far they were only halfway to. Instead, she looked to Thor and Loki, watching their interaction closely.

Thor leaned sideways so he could better see Loki's face, hoping to interpret what he was thinking from what little was on his brother's face. His hat's pom-pom bobbled when Loki raised his head just enough to meet Thor's eyes. Watching Loki's fingers pressing into the fabric Thor saw anxiety in those little movements. He tugged on Hulk's leg again while assuring, "I'm not taking them away from you, Brother. I just need them for a moment." Keeping his voice low he tried again when there was no sign of releasing the toys. "I will return them."

Loki's arms tightened again, he wasn't letting them go.

Annie came over, she wasn't sure what Thor had said but it was obvious he was trying to get Loki to release the plush figures. She glanced at Thor as she squeezed along the cart to be able to let Loki see her.

"He won't release them." Thor sounded slightly exasperated. "Loki, we must pay for them."

Annie knelt to look up into Loki's face. "Hey, buddy. So here is how paying for something works." She reached up enough to point at the tag connected on the figure's hands, "Those pieces of paper have on them the amount of money that we have to pay. The lady needs to see how much that amount is. It only takes her a couple of seconds to look at it." She could tell by the slight crinkling between his brows that Loki was listening. "So, which one would you like to give her first? Thor? Or Hulk?"

At first, Annie thought she would get no reaction to her question. She was ready to go back to the toy section and grab another of each rather than take these away from Loki. She didn't want to force him to give something up, especially when he'd already had everything taken from him. He would feel powerless all over again. So when the Hulk was carefully moved away from him, she felt elated. She carefully and deliberately reached out and took the proferred Hulk but didn't pull on it. Loki's hand opened just enough to release it into her hand and Annie felt like she needed to take a deep breath as if she had been holding her breath. And maybe she had been.

She brought the figure up to hand over to the clerk who had just finished scanning the last item. True to Annie's word it only took her a swift pass to scan Hulk as well then hand it back. Annie held it out to Thor who took it and with only a slight hesitation on Loki's part, exchanged the two. Another few seconds and Loki was now the proud owner of both Hulk and Thor.

"Nice job, kiddo. And, see? You got them back." Annie resisted touching Loki but it was difficult, she wanted to give him a kiss on the top of his little pom-pom. 

Instead, she stepped forward enough to pull the wagon and shopping cart clear of the checkout aisle. Loki rolled past her and she gave him a grin as he looked up at her from under sinfully long eyelashes. His chin rubbed and forth over the figures. She thought he looked content, wondering if for the first time if he was feeling some kind of happiness.

Thor squeezed past Annie and both the cart and wagon so that he could continue loading the shopping bags. He thought that these fabric satchels would be something worthy to introduce to Asgard. They seemed to be able to hold a great deal and were much easier to bring to the market than a basket. The little wagon could be pulled by a goat. Hmm, he would have to ponder this idea.

Annie nervously watched Thor fill the wagon then start piling bags on top. All of her recyclable bags had been used and now she was using the plastic store ones. And they kept piling up until a few slid off and she had to admit that nothing else was going to fit in or on the wagon. Thor simply started putting bags into the shopping cart and Annie let him. They'd have to get outside the store to sort out who would be carrying what.

When the cashier announced the total Annie refused to flinch. She pulled out one hundred dollar bills, one after the other, counting each. The cashier didn't even blink. She took the money, ran her counterfeit pen over it, and held each one up to the lights. Once she was certain the bills were good, she rang the purchase up and counted back Annie's change along with the receipt. Which Annie tucked in her wallet along with the change.

Turning, she pushed the cart with Loki while Thor pulled the wagon. Annie had been right, he had to hunch over to reach the handle. They exited the store and Annie led them over to an area out of the way of foot traffic. She looked between the wagon and the cart with a deep sigh.

"Okay." Well, Hells Bells. How were they going to do this? Think think think. "Okay." This was insane. "Okay." She nodded. "We can do this. The most important part is Loki not having to walk. Agreed?" She looked at Thor who was looking at her with a bemused smile. "What?"

He leaned down, reached under the wagon and picked the entire thing up, and set it crossways on the top of the cart, its side pressed up close to Loki's back. He tipped the handle back then looked at Annie while holding his arms out as if to say ta-da.

Annie stood with her mouth slightly open. "You, uh, no. No, we can't take the shopping cart home with us." She looked it over, noticing Loki was watching her while squeezing his Hulk and Thor.

"Why not?"

"Um, well, because the cart belongs to the store. We can't just take it. That's stealing." She shook her head.

"We will only borrow it. Then bring it back." Thor walked to the handle which he grasped and started pushing, heading back the way they had come from.

"Wait," Annie moved to walk beside him. "We, we're not that kind of people."

Thor didn't stop pushing though he did glance over at Annie. "What kind of people?"

Finding herself looking around as if someone was going to come running over to accuse them of theft, Annie stammered, "This kind of people. That take shopping carts out of the parking lot to take them home."

He gave her a cocky smile, "Do not worry yourself, I will return the cart. Then we will not be that kind of person."

Annie gave a huff of long-suffering, she would put up with it, she appeared to have no other choice. "Fine." She caught Loki's eye, "Is your brother always like this? Bossy?"

Loki slid his eyes over to look up at Thor who was looking down at him, that soft smile still on his face. Loki ducked his head without answering, going back to hugging his Thor and Hulk while still looking around. A little finger was poking into Thor's head.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Thor breathed out a laugh, "How do you know? That was no answer."

"No answer is still an answer." Annie tried to sound wise as she replied but allowed herself her own near-silent laugh. They walked in companionable silence, getting to the corner of the shopping center where they waited for the light to change so they could cross. Okay, we're really doing this, stealing a shopping cart. Borrowing but still, it's not borrowing until we bring it back. Till then it's stealing.

They walked across the street and up onto the sidewalk, all the while Annie felt like she had just robbed a bank. Better lookout for the po-po, five-oh, the cops, the Man. She gave a nervous chuckle of laughter and caught Thor looking at her. "Nothing. Sorry, I'm just being stupid."

"Impossible," Thor replied with certainty.

"Ha! You would be surprised." Annie looked to Loki, "So kiddo, how was your first trip to Wal Mart?"

Loki looked up at Annie, his eyes were wide and thoughtful. There was understanding in his eyes, he knew what she was asking even though he made no effort to answer her. After a slow blink, he raised his head to give Thor the same look before turning his attention back to his surroundings.

"You made out like a bandit."

Thor frowned, his brow showing heavy lines. "He was no bandit. You paid for everything. And I said I will return the cart."

"No, I meant- that's just a saying. It means a person got a lot of things. Which he did."

"Ah, then in that case, yes. He is just like a bandit." Thor spoke as if tasting the strange expression.

"And you? What do you think of your first trip?" They had come to the next crosswalk and were waiting for the light to change. Annie felt like every driver was looking over at her, judging her about the shopping cart. She decided to not look at anyone.

"Well, I will admit that when you first spoke of this market, I thought it would be a place to purchase walls. Or material to build walls." Thor turned his head to look at Annie when she gave a loud noise of surprise before she started laughing. He became concerned when she had to grab onto the side of the cart to support herself. He felt as though he should do something to assist her when she appeared to be coughing hard enough to affect her breathing. He put an arm out and rested his hand on her back. "Are you well?"

Annie didn't know if the funniest part was Thor's words or the fact that he was so earnest saying them. He had no problem with admitting his ignorance, it was part of his charm. She finally caught her breath, feeling dizzy from laughing so hard. "Walls? Really?" She chuckled some more. 

"Well, a fish market sells fish. It seemed logical." He sounded amusingly defensive. "Though I did wonder why we were going to purchase walls when you have no need of them." He gave a very human shrug, "I also thought it could be a market enclosed by walls."

They had made their way across the street and were going down the sidewalk, "Well, technically there were walls so I guess you were right." Annie grinned up at Thor then gave Loki a gentle tap on the arm with the back of her hand, "Your brother can be pretty silly, yeah?"

Loki looked up at Thor, his eyes looked over his brother's face, taking him in. There was a deeply intensive look in those green eyes as they studied Thor's face, his eyes moving as if searching for something. After several seconds he went back to looking around.

Annie wondered if Loki's not answering was because the questions didn't really affect him or if he had another reason. She knew he would answer if the question meant something to him, so maybe he just didn't feel the need to react to something that wasn't about him. Also, she was thrilled at the fact that he hadn't reacted negatively to her light and fast touch. He hadn't reacted at all but that was fine with her as long as he seemed okay with it.

Ahead at the next light Annie could see a police car and felt her heart jump then rolled her eyes. A guilty conscience. However, she felt rising panic when the car's overhead lights started flashing as it pulled to a stop in the street.

"Crap." Now how were they going to get everything home? They'd end up with everything piled on the sidewalk. Or have to do the walk of shame back to Wal Mart while the Officer followed them and -

Thor stopped walking when he heard Annie pull in a quick lungful of air, he had seen the police car and recognized her fear. Thor smiled, he had no worries about meeting this peacekeeping warrior and watched as the door opened.

"Mike?" Annie's voice was incredulous.

Mike shook his head as he took in Annie. "I should have known it was you. Always finding trouble." He closed his door and began walking over to join them on the sidewalk.

Thor looked from the large man walking over to them to Annie then back to the warrior. The question of how the two Midgardian's knew each other crossed his mind. Annie didn't seem the type of mortal to spend time with the warriors of Midgard, though he would admit he really didn't know who she knew. Another musing to pass through his mind took in the mortal's size and thought he would make a worthy sparring partner. 

Annie spoke rapidly, "We're taking it back, I promise." Mike had stopped walking once he was standing in front of them, his attention fully focused on Thor. "You have any ID, sir?" There was no tenseness in Mike's body language however he clearly was paying attention.

Thor raised an eyebrow but before he could speak Annie had responded. "No, he doesn't. Must have left it at home. The apartment."

"Sir?" Mike ignored Annie. "Any identification?" His face was neutral however he was studying Thor intently.

Thor slowly shook his head, "No, I do not." He kept his voice calm, they both took in the other man's measure for several long seconds.

With a slow movement, Mike's eyes came back to Annie though he never moved his head. He let out a longsuffering sigh. "And what are you going on about?"

Annie waved her hand towards the shopping cart, "We're bringing it back. We just went a little-" She raised a shoulder, "Overboard." Then she complained, "I can't believe someone called about us taking a cart. People do it all the time." She gave Mike a heatless glare, "You'd think cops in this town have better things to do than harass tax-paying citizens."

He gave her a look that clearly was unimpressed. "You done?"

"No. I also just want to add that I pay your salary." Mike raised his eyebrows. "And I know the Chief. He's a good friend of mine." Annie's lips twitched as she fought a smile.

Mike nodded. "Now are you done?"

Annie looked thoughtful, rolling her eyes skyward for a moment, "Hmm. I guess I covered every trope, yeah?"

"Pretty much." He looked at Thor, again taking him in with an intense gaze. "I'm not here about the cart. Though that is a crime." He gave Annie a side-eyed look. 

"What?" Annie was confused and it came out in her tone. "Then why'd you stop us?"

"We got a call from a concerned citizen. About a child being abused by his parents while in Wal Mart." Mike kept his considering gaze on Thor.

"What!" Annie rose on her toes as her voice echoed down the street. "Are you serious?" Annie looked to Thor, "That, rotten, bi- witch. She called the cops on us." Annie glared at Mike who just looked at her with his neutral expression. 

"So you know who called?" He sounded as if that didn't surprise him.

"There was a rude woman in Wal Mart. She said something about Loki and I went off on her. Kind of." Another raising of the eyebrows had Annie rolling her eyes, "Mike, I hardly went off. I didn't even raise my voice."

Thor nodded, "Indeed, Lady Annie was only defending my Brother when she threatened the-" He frowned and glanced at Annie, "The woman was truly a witch?"

Annie shook her head, distracted from the situation as she realized that Thor was asking because he really wanted to know if the woman in Wal Mart was an actual witch. Huh. "No, not a real one." Annie looked at Loki who was staring at her so she reached out and put her hands over Loki's ears which were covered by his hat. In a hushed voice, she explained, "She's a bitch, not a witch." Taking her hands from Loki she met his eyes with a weak smile. "Not for little's ears, kiddo."

"Loki is familiar with the term bitch." Thor spoke almost condescendingly.

Mike gave a low snort, "Anyway." He spoke emphatically, "The call came in, you guys match the description so here I am."

"Well, you know the story." Annie folded her arms, "Thor's not the one-" Annie's hand jumped up to cover her mouth. Her eyes grew and she looked from Thor to Loki then Mike before starting to make the rounds again. I. Can. Not. BELIEVE you just said Thor's name. How could you give him up that easily? You would make the worst partner in crime. "I mean, uh-" Annie couldn't think of a single name that sounded even remotely close to Thor and the silence stretched out.

"Yeah." Mike drug the word out then gave a deep sigh. "I kind of recognized him right off." He gave a head nod to Thor, "Kind of hard not to when it's your job to recognize people."

Now it was Annie's turn to frown as she dropped her hand, "You knew who he was and you still asked for ID?" Her voice was accusing.

Mike gave her a dismissive glance, "I still have to do my job."

Thor nodded, moving around the cart to hold his hand out to Mike, the proper way to meet a Midgardian. "Of course a warrior must follow protocol. An honor to meet you."

Annie rolled her eyes.

Mike took Thor's hand carefully, the two men shook while taking each other's measure. "I'm Mike."

Returning by Loki, Thor put his hand on his brother's back. "I can assure you that no harm has come to my Brother by my hand. Or the Lady's." He rubbed circles on the small back.

Mike didn't appear impressed by Thor's words. "Well, I still need to investigate." He ignored Annie's huff of irritation and continued, "I need to talk to the kid, get his side."

Thor frowned as he looked sideways at Loki, "My Brother," Thor licked his lips while hesitating as he tried to find the words to explain. "He does not speak."

Mike's head tilted to one side, "Not at all?" His tone was skeptical.

Again Thor hesitated, Loki did not like having his personal life known, not even by those who should be considered closest to him. "No, not at all. Though he sometimes will nod or shake his head however even that is rare." Thor pressed his hand harder on Loki's back while he continued rubbing circles, he didn't know if he was doing it to soothe himself or Loki.

Annie made sure to add, "Very rare."

Mike nodded, "I still need to try." He looked between Thor and Annie, "Give me a minute alone with him." He met Thor's hardening gaze, "If you'll stand by my unit." He pointed towards the patrol car.

Neither moved. Thor gave Loki's back several gentle pats while he moved to face him. Speaking gently Thor examined Loki's face, "Brother, this man is charged with keeping the peace here on Midgard. He wishes to speak to you about your injuries." Loki's eyes snapped up to scrutinize Thor, peering uneasily into his brother's eyes. Thor watched the thin lips separate as Loki began breathing deeper. "We will be right here, I will not leave you."

Loki attempted to watch as Thor stepped away by looking over his shoulder but the wagon blocked his view. In a move that Annie saw as desperation, he turned swiftly to look at her, his hands tightly crushing the figures in his arms. His apprehension was growing.

Annie looked at Mike who was walking over then made her decision. "You know I didn't have anything to do with Loki's injuries so I'm staying with him." She reached out and put her hand on the small shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze through the cape. "I'm staying." She repeated forcefully.

Mike had come around the cart while giving Annie a look that clearly showed he was going to refuse to allow this when he came around close enough to glance down at Loki's face. His eyes widened and his step hesitated just once. He met Annie's eyes which were staring at him defiantly, daring him to tell her she had to move. "Fine." The word was clipped, revealing much more than the professional mask he slipped back behind.

Annie lowered her hand to rest on Loki's arm even though it was covered by the cape, she wanted to give him assurance that he wasn't alone. "You're okay, buddy."

Mike knelt so that he would be less intimidating to the child in front of him. He saw the healing scars around the small mouth, not obvious unless you were close but once you were they were clearly visible. "Hey there, partner. My names Mike." He gave a smile, "What's your name?"

Loki's fingers dug into the soft figures, flexing back and forth. He stared down at Mike with worried distrust in his eyes, he wasn't about to be won over by soft words and smiles.

Moving deliberately Mike reached into his uniform shirt pocket and lifted the flap so he could pull out a crinkly sounding piece of paper. He held it out to Loki, close to one small hand. "Would you like a badge sticker?" Mike watched Loki's eyes dart to the offering then met his own eyes before looking back at the rectangular piece of paper. Mike could see the interest and continued to hold out the sticker, watching as the tip of Loki's tongue poked out from between thin lips. "It's yours, you can have it." He affirmed with a kindness in his voice. Mike again took in the scars around that mouth, getting an eye full. 

The little fingers moved faster at rubbing on the fabric before the hand reached out. Loki moved slowly as if he were expecting a slap or maybe the sticker to be snatched back. There was a slight quiver in those fingers as they cautiously grasped the sticker then just as slowly pulled back. Once pulled back enough the hand disappeared under the cloak, leaving the other hand to grip the two stuffed figures tighter to his chest. Loki now stared at Mike with only slightly more interest.

Feeling surprisingly successful, Mike pointed at the two toys, "Those are pretty cool. Did your brother get you those at Wal Mart?" There were only the fingers digging into the toys if that could even be considered an acknowledgment of the question. "So you like the Hulk? My son likes him too." 

The tip of Loki's tongue again came from between dry lips as he looked over his shoulder and it was clear he wanted to know where Thor was.

Mike gave a nod and another smile, "You want your brother back?"

Loki's head jerked in a sharp nod.

Mike stood and stepped back. "Okay, Loki. It was nice to meet you." He exchanged a look with Annie then walked towards where Thor stood waiting with his arms folded.

Annie watched Mike go then put her hand on Loki's back and started rubbing it. "You okay?" Loki didn't look at her, he just put his face down into the soft fabric of his figures. "You did a good job. I'm proud of you." Now Loki raised his face to peer searchingly at Annie before dropping his head again. She could feel the pounding of his heart even through his back.

Thor raised his chin when Mike stopped in front of him. "Well? Do you have your answers?" Thor had been able to hear what Mike had said to Loki, perhaps a mortal would not have been able but the words had been clear to him.

"Your brother is one messed up kid." He glanced back over his shoulder to see Annie watching them. Once more meeting Thor's gaze he sighed, "Look, I'm going to card close this." Thor raised an eyebrow requesting an explanation. "It means that I investigated and found that it was an unfounded report. No abuse. I'll mention that there was a dispute at Wal Mart and the call appears to be in retaliation."

"Thank you." Thor meant it.

"Listen, I don't know what's going on but I know Annie and she's good friends with my wife. I can't tell her not to get tangled up in your business but I can tell you- she doesn't deserve to get mixed up in a family dispute involving aliens and shit." Mike was tall enough to look straight into Thor's eyes with little effort. "You understand what I'm talking about?"

Thor nodded. "I understand. And I agree." His gaze slid off Mike to touch on Annie who was watching them with curiosity mixed with clear suspicion. "She is a special woman. Not many would offer to help my Brother and I. We will not let any harm come to her."

Mike studied Thor. His expression showed he had his doubts about Thor's ability to protect Annie. Finally, he held his hand out and the two shook. "See that you do." He walked around the front of his patrol car, calling out loud enough for any curious citizens to hear, "Thank you for your time, sir." As an afterthought, he added right before he entered the unit, "And I'm going to ignore that shopping cart."

Annie scowled with no real heat as she watched the lights turn off as the patrol car drove on down the street in the direction of Wal Mart. She spitefully hoped he would go to Wal Mart and be able to still find that woman. Maybe put the fear of God into her. 

Thor walked back to the sidewalk to kneel before Loki. "You are well, Brother?" He thought Loki's green eyes looked damp as if he were fighting tears. "You have nothing to fear." He smiled weakly, "You were very brave. As Lady Annie said, I too am proud of you."

Watching for Loki's reaction to Thor's words she also realized that Thor had been able to hear her quiet words despite his distance. God's ears. She'd remember that. When there was no reaction from Loki, she let out a pent up breath then suggested, "Let's get home. We've got stuff melting and- aw crap!"

Thor startled and even Loki looked up at Annie with a wide-eyed look of subtle surprise. As Annie put her hand to her head Thor wondered if she was experiencing pain.

"We forgot the ice cream. Well, I forgot the ice cream." She bent her head back to look skyward as she let out a frustrated growl.

Thor felt relief, he gave her a pat on the shoulder that was meant to be gentle but still caused her to wobble dangerously. "There is nothing to worry about, as I said before, we will be going back."

By unspoken agreement, in silence, they started walking again. After a short distance, Annie asked, "Are you okay with what just happened?" She only tilted her head slightly to see Thor's reaction to her question. They were crossing the next street, almost out of the downtown area. "Being questioned about his injuries by, a human?"

Thor looked down at Loki, his brother was still hiding the small piece of paper he had been given under the cloak. His head rested tiredly on the soft toys, his eyes were closed. It wasn't clear if the experience was the cause or the length of the day. "He was kind to Loki." Looking up he watched as the trees up ahead became larger as the homes appeared. "I understand he was required to conduct his inquiry, He didn't try to force Loki to answer his questions and he did it showing respect to Loki's feelings which-" Here Thor's lips twisted in a grimace, "Which has not been a too common experience for him."

"Hmm." Annie tried to think of something to say, she wanted to make sure it was the right thing but had no clue what that would be. Thor must have thought she was waiting for him to explain because that's what he did.

"Loki has always been overly sensitive to others' words. He takes offense quickly, which causes those who seek to provoke him to intentionally speak harshly to him." Looking both ways at the corner, because that's what he had painfully learned in New York, he pushed the cart onwards. Continuing he gave voice to his own feelings, "It is difficult to not speak in anger to him because he has intentionally misunderstood your words. Twisting them to meet his own expectations." There was another sigh though this time it was a defeated one, "I love my brother, however," Thor looked down at Loki who still had his eyes closed, "He can be an exhausting experience."

Again Annie wasn't sure how to reply to Thor's words so she just went with the first thing that came out, "Well, if people spoke, harshly, to him then he really didn't have to twist them too much, did he?"

Blue eyes met hers while Thor clearly was thinking over her words. He spoke pensively, "Well, he did deserve most of them. He cares little for the feelings of others which leads them to care little for his."

"Well, two wrongs don't make a right, from anyone." Annie used her best I-am-being-an-adult voice. 

Thor frowned at this piece of advice, it sounded like a belief that Midgardian's would devise. They had all sorts of impracticable and unrealistic ones. Thor wasn't sure of the meaning however he got the impression that Annie didn't care what Loki had done to others, she would still defend him. Which annoyed Thor because he was often the one on the receiving end of Loki's attitude, though he also felt gratified that Annie would defend Loki no matter what occurred. Defend and protect. Which was what Loki would need, someone who would not back down from the challenge that was Loki.

They were on the final stretch home, several more blocks then three flights of stairs. Annie decided that two trips to Wal-Mart in one day was plenty of exercise. "I think he has the right idea. A snack then a nap."

Thor looked at Loki, he appeared to be asleep, his little pom-pom ball jiggling with every uneven part of the sidewalk. "Snacks are always good." Thor voiced his agreement along with a smile.

Annie was about to reply when she looked down the street and gave an unwelcoming huff. "Ahw, crap."

Thor glanced at her then looked ahead to see what had caused this reaction. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, everything appeared to be the same as the previous streets. Cars parked against the curb, people in their yards, a few children running around, traffic on the street. While Annie's tone didn't cause concern he did wonder what she had seen.

"We couldn't just sneak upstairs," Annie muttered as she straightened her back as if facing a difficult task. 

Thor frowned deeper, noticing a woman in the yard that he recognized as belonging to where Annie's apartment was. The woman turned and as her body language gradually changed he knew she was recognizing them. Or at least recognizing Annie.

Hands climbing to her hips, Thor heard the woman call out to them. "Oh helll no. You turn around and you take that cart right back Right Now."

Annie snorted a laugh, "Told you." She spoke under her breath even though there was no chance of her being overheard, they were still too far away. She watched as Sharise stood there staring at them, her hands flexing at her hips.

"You know this woman?" Thor's voice wasn't concerned, just curious.

Another snort came from Annie, "Yep. She would be one of my best friends. And she and her husband own the house, my apartment." Annie gave Thor a sideways look, "You met her husband. Mike."

"The peacekeeper?" There was surprise in his voice. "He owns your home?"

A nod and a "Yep," were his answer. Now that they had come closer they could see the disapproval that was all over Sherise's face. Annie gave her an exaggerated wave and grin. "Hey there, Sherise! Beautiful day, yeah?"

The woman shook her head firmly, "No, no, we will not be one of those people. We do not have shopping carts on our lawn or in our driveway." Her eyes landed on Thor for a moment, the only change was her lips pressing tighter together as she looked back at Annie. "We are not Wal-Mart people."

Annie laughed, "Well I hate to break it to you but, yeah, we are now officially Wal-Mart people." 

Sherise shook her head in denial, "Oh heck no, no we are not." There was no room for argument in her tone.

By this time they had met up and were now standing the shopping cart length away from each other. Annie cleared her throat, "Uh, Sherise, this is, my, friend, Thor. Thor this is Sherise, one of my oldest and best friends."

Thor had come around the cart and now he took Sherise's held out hand and bowed over it while keeping eye contact. He gave a nod in acknowledgement, "Lady Sherise, the pleasure is mine."

Sherise raised an eyebrow. Once she got her hand back she looked to Annie but spoke to Thor. "Annie mentioned she had a-" Again she raised a single eyebrow, "Friend staying with her. So I'm glad to meet you." She gave a glance between Thor and Annie that clearly said she wanted more information.

Thor cleared his throat, "I look forward to speaking with you again." He looked to Annie, "I will take our supplies inside."

Annie nodded, "Sounds good. Here," She reached into her pocket and brought her keys out and dropped them into Thor's outstretched hand. "I'll be up in a few."

Thor nodded with a knowing expression then bent his knees slightly and picked the entire shopping cart up, wagon and Loki included. Loki's head came up as he woke and looked around, his eyes seeing Annie and Sherise but there was no surprise at being carried by Thor while still in the cart. The same couldn't be said of Annie or Sherise.

Both women stood with mouths slack as they watched Thor easily walk away, not even the slightest strain showing in his posture. They wordlessly watched as he continued from the sidewalk to the stairs without pausing, walking steadily up the three flights of stairs until reaching the small landing in front of the door. Once there he set the cart down, used the keys to unlock the door then push it open. The cart just fit through the door as Thor followed it inside the apartment before the door closed behind him.

There was a loud silence for several seconds before they turned to face each other. Sherise spoke first. "What. The Hell. Have you gotten yourself mixed up in?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been a long time world-building on Midgard. Time to move forward at a faster pace.


	41. Calm Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to post more often rather than post one long chapter, so this one is shorter. I hope it still moves the story forward.

Thor wasn't certain what to do with the shopping cart with its contents so he decided to push it out of the way and leave it for Annie. He took the wagon off the top and set it on the floor, careful to not hit Loki as he did so. His brother was still awake but his little head was bobbing as he fought sleep, the little ball on his hat wobbling with every jerk.

"Come, Loki." He grasped Loki under the arms with care, making sure to keep his movements plain and clear. He would have no misunderstandings. 

Loki brought his hand out from under the cape, still clutching the sticker. Without letting go he brought it around to grasp his Hulk figure while his other hand gripped the Thor one. He allowed himself to be lifted from the seat of the cart, bringing both arms around Thor's neck. He lowered his head to his brother's shoulder and closed his eyes.

Thor pulled the cape free from around Loki as he laid the boy on the couch, resting his head on a pillow. As Loki turned to lay on his side Thor tucked the cape around him, making sure to pull the hat from Loki's head. He stood staring down at Loki, his mind churning through so many thoughts.

He needed to talk with Stark, to learn what mage Strange was going to do about getting Loki's collar off. Everything hinged on that, getting Loki's magic back so he could shift back into himself. Any other difficulties could be solved after that. He ran a hand over his head, pushing through his hair while telling himself that it wouldn't be much longer before everything was being set to rights. The knowledge that Odin had already refused to temper Loki's punishment was pushed to the back of his mind, that problem would be solved when Loki could come up with a plan. Thor knew he just needed to be patient. Just for a little longer.

He ran a hand over his face, once more thinking how tired he was. He had fought for hours in battle and not come out this tired. His thoughts swirling about in his mind, looping back on themselves as he tried to think of every possibility. He knew Loki was the better of the two of them at making plans however Thor couldn't help but think that he needed to have his own ideas. At least to have something to contribute to the conversation or else Loki would wonder how Thor had been spending his time.

He went to the window near the front door and looked down towards the street and watched the two women talking. He didn't wish to cause conflict between Annie and her friends, he didn't want her to have to choose between them. Perhaps he should not have gone outside.

"Really? Have you lost your mind?" Sherise's voice was disbelieving. "Do you know who that is?"

Annie nodded, "Yep, pretty sure I do."

"That's that guy from New York, the one who claims to be an alien or god or something." Sherise shook her head, "How do these people find you?"

Annie shrugged while giving a snarky grin, "Google probably."

Sherise narrowed her eyes, "Seriously now. You have got to tell me how all of this happened."

"I will. But right now I'm exhausted and I still need to make dinner." She gave Sherise a wide-eyed look, "You have no idea how much food he can eat."

"Uh, have you cooked for Mike? The man eats like his mother never fed him and he's making up for it." Sherise looked like she had a sudden thought, "Come over tomorrow for dinner. Mike's off work."

"I'll ask Thor, though he already met Mike this afternoon." She gave a wry smile while holding up a hand to forestall Sherise from asking about it. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow, though I'm sure you're going to hear about it from Mike tonight."

"Oh yes, I will." Sherise shook her head while humming, "You can count on it." Her eyes softened with concern, "I worry about you."

Annie's own face lost some of its tiredness, "I know."

Sherise looked upwards to Annie's apartment, her eyes narrowing slightly. "This is, more than what we know. Aliens, gods, and crazy shit that's beyond anything we've ever dealt with." She looked back to Annie, "Be careful." Her voice was firm. 

"I will." Annie headed up the stairs with a wave, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Uh-huh, yes you will. And take that cart back!" She yelled after Annie as she made her way to her front door, then muttering, "Can't believe you brought that home. We are not those people."

Annie grinned as she heard her friend's words despite the low volume. As she climbed the stairs she looked up in time to see the curtains fall back over the window. Walking through the door she made sure to lock it behind her before removing her coat. Standing near the window watching her was Thor.

He waited until she had walked over to the shopping cart before speaking, his tone curious. "Did your friend asked you to turn us out?"

Annie looked at him with a frown, "No, why would you think that?"

There was a contemplative expression on his face, "She didn't appear to be pleased with our being here."

Annie shrugged while she started unloading the groceries from the cart first, Loki's clothes could wait. "Sherise is a worrier. It's how she's always been. She doesn't have all the details so she doesn't know what to think. Oh, that reminds me, she invited us to dinner tomorrow. She wants to hear how we met." Annie stopped for a moment, "You should probably tell that part. That way you can reveal as much or as little as you want." She glanced at a sleeping Loki, "It's your business."

Thor was silent as he watched Annie out groceries away, pushing the cart near the door when it was empty. "I'll return this once it's dark, I don't want anyone to see me as I do."

Annie looked intrigued, "How do you plan on doing that?"

He shrugged slightly, "I have my means." He gave a slightly mischievous smile, "It won't take long."

"Okay, fine, you keep your superpowers secret." She shook her head in good humor while taking tags off of Loki's clothes. Once they were free of them she started a load in the washer, piling the other dry load on the end of the couch. She looked down at Loki while standing over him, he was sleeping with his mouth open, his face relaxed. She was glad he didn't seem to be dreaming, at least not yet.

Over the next hour, she got two pot roasts in the oven and a crockpot, chopping and slicing vegetables to go in later. She had all the groceries put away except for some fruit she cut up and gave to Thor. "Here, try this."

Thor obviously enjoyed them because the bowl was soon empty and he brought it into the kitchen and washed it out then set it aside to dry. He stood leaning against the counter, taking in the room without really seeing it. His thoughts were far away.

Annie was folding clothes, sitting in a chair she put the folded laundry in piles on the coffee table. The quiet in the room didn't bother her, she was okay with it, she wasn't the type to always need sound around her. She kept an eye on Loki but she also watched Thor. To her it was obvious that he was thinking about something important, his face occasionally contracted as he frowned. He came back over to the living room area and sat down in what was becoming "his" chair.

After a few moments, she asked, "What are you thinking about? Something serious, I can tell."

Thor's eyes rested on her while one side of his lips rose just slightly, "My thoughts are heavy. I'm not sure I should burden you with them." His voice was low and rumbled through the room. His eyes settled on Loki, making it clear what those thoughts were about.

"Well, a burden shared is a burden halved. Or something like that." Annie tried to cheer him up with a grin however he only gave her a slightly larger lift of his lips. "Come on, what's wrong? I'm kinda involved here so I'd like to know what you're thinking."

After several long moments, Thor pulled in a deep breath then let it out, "I think on Loki's future. Our future. The uncertainty of it." He pursed his lips for a moment before continuing. "Our father, Odin," Thor spoke the name almost reluctantly as if he was concerned the man would hear his name and know where he was. "He has refused to adjust Loki's punishment, to stop this physical torment." Annie scowled. "We can not return to Asgard, I refuse to place Loki's safety at the whim of our father." Thor stared into a distant spot, then licked dry lips before explaining. "We will need sanctuary once Loki is returned to himself. The realms rely on Asgard for protection, they will not want to bring the AllFather's attention to them for harboring his fugitive sons."

"Why can't you just stay here? On ear- uh, Midgard?"

Thor leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees, and clasped his hands together. He rubbed his palms one against the other, "We would not be welcome here." He shrugged a shoulder, "At least Loki would not be. I would not have my friends tasked with hunting us." He leaned back, looking down at his hands as they picked at each other. "I have already placed them in a difficult situation, I would not add to it." He seemed to notice what his hands were doing and pulled them apart and rested them on his thighs.

Annie stayed quiet, she focused on Loki while thinking. Obviously, there were some politics going on here, intergalactic from the sound of it. She didn't know about any of that, and honestly, she wasn't interested. As far as she was concerned what was happening in another world didn't have anything to do with her or with what she was being asked to do. Though it was obviously bothering Thor.

She paused in her folding, "So if not here, then where?"

Thor smiled though there was nothing humorous in it. In fact, it looked a little severe while his tone matched it, "I do not know." His hands were again together, now he tugged at his palm with the fingers of his other hand. "Perhaps we would need to go farther than the Nine." He sighed out a breath, running his hands over his face again. "Norns, this is why I have Loki devise our plans. He is the tactician, not I." He closed his eyes though the tension in his shoulders remained.

She studied Thor for a minute before voicing her thoughts, "Why don't you go take a nap? It'll be a while before dinner is ready, I'll wake you when it's ready." She saw his eyes open then rest on Loki so she added, "He's fine, if he wakes I can take care of him."

Thor's expression was contemplative then he nodded, "If you are sure?"

"Yep." She gave him an encouraging smile, "Go on. Get a couple of hours sleep, you'll feel better after."

Thor nodded as he stood, "Thank you. Though if you need me," Here he waved towards Loki, "Call for me."

"Will do." Though she had no plans to wake the god unless it was an emergency. She watched Thor go into his room, closing the door softly behind him. At the quiet sound, Annie's eyes shifted over to Loki. She set the shirt she folded on the pile with the rest then got up and walked over to the sleeping form bundled under the cape.

Loki slept, his mouth still open slightly though he was breathing through his nose. She watched him breathe, slowly and as far as she could tell, normally. She really wanted to brush her hand over his hair but was able to stop herself. She didn't want to take the chance of waking him, he needed his sleep.

She went back to folding his clothes, adding to the piles with a contentedness as they grew taller. He wouldn't have to worry about what to wear, even if he didn't go anywhere. Her thoughts drifted after that prospect, of Loki remaining inside for nearly the whole time they were here. He had enjoyed their trip to Wal-Mart, she was sure of it. There had been a curiosity in his eyes as he looked around. Whatever had happened to him it hadn't stopped him from being interested in what was happening around him. Annie thought about that, he would need to be kept busy or he would probably get depressed. More depressed because Annie wasn't going to deny the fact that he had to be depressed. Who wouldn't be after being tortured?

She went into the kitchen to work on dinner, the roasts were starting to fill the apartment with a wonderful smell. There would need to be a lot more to go with them if she wanted to make sure there was enough for Thor. She wasn't about to have a hungry guest.

It was about an hour and a half later when Annie heard a noise. She was coming out of what she thought of as the boy's bathroom, she would need to get some cleaning wipes or something for Thor because she wasn't going to be the one cleaning up after two males when she heard it. A sound like an animal's pitiful cry. She immediately moved over to Loki and looked at his face which was scrunched into a frown.

"Loki, hey." She set a hand on his covered shoulder, giving it what she hoped was a comforting squeeze. "Hey buddy, wake up." She kept her voice low and gentle.

Inside Loki's dream, there was nothing comforting.

Hiding in the back of the cell the cold stone was hard against his skin, rough grit pressed into his flesh. The tiny pricks of pain were nothing compared to the greater agony of the deep bruises along his ribs and stomach. It hurt with every shallow gasp. The door was open, figures standing outside the cell, their voices raised in an argument, the words making no sense, just loud and angry blurry sounds. At last, one vague outline came closer, an indistinct arm reaching out to grab Loki by the hair. His head was painfully wrenched back, when he cried out in pain a metal spoon was shoved into his mouth then a hand clamped tightly over his mouth and nose. The foul spoonful was forced down his throat at the risk of choking and suffocating. One after the other, each spoonful painfully shoved past lips and teeth while Loki choked each one down. Other than his cries of pain and noises of being fed came the laughter of the figures outside the cell. The one holding Loki, now by the back of his neck, gave grunts and orders, the words indistinguishable but the meaning was clear. He wanted Loki to eat.

"Loki, come on buddy, wake up." Annie was more forcefully shaking him, his cries were louder and growing even more gut-wrenching. He wouldn't wake up and she was just one step from getting Thor when instead she sat on the couch and pulled the trembling figure onto her lap. She loosened the cape then pulled him closer to her chest. She didn't know if she was helping or making things worse when the little body began to struggle in her arms. She stood up, absently making note of the fact that Loki was so light it wasn't even a struggle to get to her feet.

Walking around the coffee table and other furniture she adjusted him to be leaning against her as she started walking. "Shh, it's okay, you're okay now. I've got you." Her words were whispered to the top of his head, then into his ear as she adjusted him more firmly. One hand rubbed at his back, moving in what she hoped was a calming circle.

In the cell, there was a voice, indistinct yet becoming louder. A woman's voice seemed to call to him and he reached his arms up, his hands reaching as though trying to grasp a rope while drowning. The figures around him wavered then disappeared as the woman's voice became clearer, her words beginning to make sense as the darkness of the cell faded.

"Come on little guy, wake up. You're safe now, nothing is going to hurt you again." Annie stopped rubbing Loki's back just long enough to wipe tears from her face before going back to once more offer comfort. Then all at once, Loki was awake.

His first cry was loud as it expressed deep suffering. This was just the first of the sobs that came from his throat, ragged and wailing noises that spoke to more than pain. Tears began falling from his eyes, running down his cheeks, his arms rose to tighten, nearly strangling Annie in their strength. His legs wrapped around her waist, just as tight, as if he was trying to burrow into her, seeking to hide within her from whatever he had been dreaming about. His eyes were wide open but unseeing what was before him, he was somewhere else.

Annie pulled him still tighter to her, now her words running together in a mantra of sorts, just trying to let Loki know someone was there. He wasn't alone. And maybe to give him a feeling of protection, there was an adult who was willing to keep him safe. She had a feeling that it had been a long time since someone other than Thor had made an effort to defend him.

The door to the boy's bedroom was yanked open and a wild-eyed Thor came out, fists tight, ready to battle whatever had caused Loki's distress. He charged out several steps before his mind made sense of what he was seeing. Once he met Annie's gaze and saw her own distress he continued forward, Loki's broken-hearted sobs stabbing into his chest, making it painfully tight. Annie stopped walking and he reached a hand out to try to offer some sort of easing of the obvious fright his brother was remembering.

Annie saw the question in Thor's eyes and answered it with one word, "Nightmare."

Thor dipped his head in acknowledgment, it was what he had feared. With Loki not speaking there was no way to reassure him that whatever plagued him would no longer happen. If he dreamed of past abuse Thor could not tell him it was over, and if he dreamed of some other torment there was no way to calm those terrors. Instead, he merely rubbed a hand over Loki's shorn head and felt helpless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite it being short.


	42. The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay, I've written, edited, deleted, and rewritten this chapter multiple times. It needed to set up the rest of the story so there was important information to include.

By the time Loki had stopped crying Annie felt drained, physically along with emotionally. He had refused to let her go when Thor had tried to take him from her arms Loki's cries had grown and his limbs had tightened their hold. Despite Annie's efforts to tell Loki That Thor wanted to hold him, the boy had shaken his head until his nails had painfully dug into her arms.

Thor had eventually held his hands up in defeat and stepped away. "Keep him, keep him," He had nearly pleaded, "I won't take you, Brother. Stay with Lady Annie." His hands shook with his strong emotions until he dropped them uselessly to his sides. There was nothing he could do. He breathed out a resigned, "Peace, Loki, peace."

Now, sitting in her chair, leaning back so Loki was laying against her chest she was able to feel as his body trembled while his breathing slowed from deep shudders to an occasional spasm of inhalation.

Thor sat across from her, his hands compressed together so tightly that there was white showing where they touched. He stared at Loki with knitted brows, until he seemed to eventually need to vent, "I wish I could go back to Asgard at this very moment to search out those responsible for Loki's affliction. I would bring their end with my very hands about their throats."

Annie worried for just a beat that she was getting used to Thor's statements of murder and mayhem. She totally ignored the fact that she was starting to agree that perhaps his way would be acceptable, just this once. She looked down at Loki who had his head under her chin, the fingers of one hand holding her shirt in a death grip. His eyes were open but not seeing. He was breathing heavily through his mouth, his nose must have been stuffed up because he kept sniffing. Every once in awhile tears would slip from his eyes to run down his cheeks and she would try to catch them before they slipped over his jaw and down his neck.

"There will come a day when we will return and I will make sure no one escapes punishment for what has been done to him." Thor's eyes met Annie's, "No one will escape my anger. No one."

Annie let her skepticism show on her face and in her tone, "Your parents?" She raised a single eyebrow, questioning him just as sharply as her words.

Thor looked uncomfortable though he asserted, "Even them. At least they must answer why they did this to him." His eyes rested on Loki, "All our lives we've been told that our Father does nothing without a purpose." Thor's hands clenched. "I've tried to believe that our Father has a reason for this," he waved a hand at Loki, "However all I can find in my heart is that he did not deserve this level of punishment. Nothing he did was equal to this amount of torment." 

"And what would be an appropriate punishment? For what he did in New York? And Germany?" Annie was honestly curious, what was the punishment for trying to take over an entire planet?

Now Thor looked uncomfortable, his shoulders subconsciously turning away from Annie. At first, he hesitated to answer, and then it was as if he were confiding something awkward and embarrassing, "You have to understand that Midgard is thought of as uncivilized and backward. What happened here does deserve punishment, don't think that it doesn't, however-" Thor's uncomfortableness increased. "Time in a cell and providing wergild to the families of the deceased and to those injured would be considered enough." Thor raised his eyes to meet Annie's.

"Wergeld?"

"The price of a man. Blood money. Compensation for the life lost or the injury caused."

Annie raised an eyebrow, "That would be a lot of money. I don't know the exact number of people killed and injured but it has to be a lot." Annie frowned, "Probably in the thousands. That would be an incredible amount of money."

Thor looked offended, "Loki is a Prince of Asgard. He has more than enough funds to cover any debt that could be assessed upon him. And if for some reason he couldn't our family would pay it." Thor shrugged, "I would pay it in full gladly if it meant Loki were free from this judgment." There was a frown on his face, he was displeased with his thoughts.

Annie looked down at Loki, green eyes met hers as he appeared to be studying her. When she gave him a gentle squeeze while smiling his expression remained distant. His fingers twisted in her shirt, rhythmically rubbing the fabric between them. Other than his breathing it was his only movement.

Annie contemplated what Thor had said, trying to think like an alien society that had influenced the Vikings. Despite her Discovery channel education, she had no idea what punishment would be appropriate in that society. Thor was saying that it was excessive and she believed him. "So," Annie's brow was wrinkled with a frown, "If his punishment is more than it should be for what he did here-" She spoke as she was thinking, "Did he do something that your dad would consider this type of punishment worthy of?" Putting her attention back on Thor just in time to see a flash of guilt cross his face before disappearing. "What?"

Thor looked down at his hands, they were folded together, worrying at each other, twisting and rubbing. He didn't want to reveal Loki's actions, they were treacherous and personal. They struck something deep inside Thor that he hadn't taken the time to think about, he hadn't wanted to. Now he faced a choice. He could give Annie an answer that kept Loki's actions hidden or he could speak the truth, revealing a part of Loki that would show him in the worst light. Thor inhaled deeply, holding it for a moment before exhaling just as deep. "He tried to kill me. I believe that is the purpose behind the AllFather's harshness."

Annie's mind went blank for just a few seconds. She had heard about that happening when people get shocking news but just figured it wasn't actually a thing. Now she realized that it could happen. It was happening. To her. Right. Now. Huh, weird. When she came back to herself she noticed Loki had been paying attention.

He was sitting up and had turned his body enough to be looking at Thor. She leaned to the side enough so she could see his face. His face looked nearly as shocked as Annie felt. His eyes were huge, his mouth had dropped open and the fingers that had been gently twisting in her shirt were now clenching it tightly. 

Thor watched Loki's breathing grew louder and ragged, he had to do something. Raising a hand as if reaching out for Loki, Thor spoke mildly, trying to calm and offer comfort. "Brother, easy. It was not you, you were not yourself at the moment." It made no difference, his sounds wavered between sobs and moans of distress. Thor looked to Annie, unsure of how much more to reveal. He felt he shouldn't have said anything, sometimes the truth wasn't the best words to say. He suddenly wondered if this was a reason for some of the lies Loki told. "You were not yourself," Thor repeated as if that would explain all. 

Loki turned from Thor, his face twisting as tears started to run from his eyes. He dropped his face against Annie's chest, his head pressing against her. His tears started to soak into the fabric, darkening it in spots.

"Hey, shh, it's okay. You didn't do anything wrong." Annie had bent her head down enough to whisper to Loki, her arms once more tightening to give him a hug though this time it was fiercer. Tighter. "I got you, buddy. You're here right now and you- She emphasized that word, then again, "You, did nothing wrong." She gave Thor a look that expressed she expected him to try again in soothing his brother.

Getting to his feel he dropped again almost immediately, this time next to Annie's chair where he could reach a hand out to rest on the back of Loki's head. "I'm sorry, I should not have spoken, Brother." Thor swallowed then licked his lips. He searched for words that would reduce Loki's pitiful cries. "That was a long time ago and it was not done by you. Lady Annie is correct, you did nothing wrong." Thor was getting confused. "It was another time, a different Loki." Thor shook his head, now he was just making things worse. He forced himself to shove down his feelings, to gain distance from his emotions even for just a few minutes. "Loki." He spoke firmly, he needed to make things clear, for both of them. "Brother. Look at me." He pushed a little harder against Loki's head, he needed his attention. Loki's head turned just enough that his eyes could meet Thor's, "You did nothing wrong." He made his voice unwavering, this was something Loki needed to believe. "Do you hear me?" Thor brought his face closer to Loki's, filling his vision. "You. Did. Nothing. Wrong." He growled out his next word, "Nothing." Thor's fingers ran over the short hairs of the bowed head.

Loki closed his eyes, more tears slipping free to slid down his face. Annie reached out and used her shirt to wipe at them.

Leaning back, Thor was uncertain of what else he could say to convince the boy that as he was now, he had nothing to feel guilty for. That thought struck Thor like a mental bolt of his lightning. Loki was feeling guilty. Thor couldn't remember the last time Loki had shown guilt to this level, perhaps not since they had been young children. Thor squinted, not since they both had been near this age. Thor absently wondered what had occurred that Loki had been forced to stop showing his remorse. "Brother, you are innocent."

Loki's eyes pinched together tighter and his cries became shuddering inhalations. He again turned his face and hid against Annie, his free arm going around her to return her hug. His other hand was gone back to pinching the fabric of her shirt, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger.

Annie pulled in a breath, slowly letting it out. Okay, enough with the drama. Loki was having a meltdown and without him talking to share his feelings and thoughts, there wasn't much they could say. Except to reassure him, which Thor had done. "Your brother is right. Loki?" She didn't expect any reaction from him and she didn't get one. "Thor is right. You didn't do anything bad." Without thinking, she kissed the top of his head. "You're a good kid. You are." She softly rocked him from side to side, both arms around him snugly.

Thor stood and moved away to slowly pace where Loki couldn't see him. He needed to do something, he felt his muscles tightening in his shoulders, little sparks going off in them. His fingers twitched with the need to perform some kind of task. Instead, he paced. 

Annie held Loki, there wasn't anything else she could do. Occasionally her eyes watched Thor as he stalked from one end of the room to the other. She didn't think he was aware that every once in awhile tiny sparks would fall from his fingertips, thankfully dying out before touching the hardwood floor. The minutes ticked by as Loki drifted into a doze, not really asleep but not fully awake, his eyes were half-closed. Every so often he would inhale another shuddering breath, his little chest rapidly rising and falling. Annie ran a hand over his back, trying to offer a feeling of security and reassurance when all at once she became aware of something. "Holy crap! The roasts." She looked at Loki laying heavily against her then up at Thor.

He stopped at Annie's outburst, glancing at the kitchen. "What do you need me to do?" He appeared relieved to have a task he could do, even something so small as long as it required movement.

"Take the one in the oven out, the one in the crockpot can wait." She watched Thor go over to the oven, "Potholders are on the counter. You can just set the pan on top of the stove." She watched Thor open the oven, yelling as he reached inside, "Potholders!" 

Thor grabbed the pan with the roast, lifted it out of the oven, and sat it on the stovetop, just as Annie had requested. He looked back at her with a faint smile and a raised eyebrow. "You were saying something?" He folded his arms and leaned back against the counter.

Annie snapped her mouth closed, it had fallen open when she realized that Thor wasn't burning his hands. "Well, huh. So that just happened." She gave the god a faint smile of her own, "I'm impressed."

Thor chuckled softly, "Not impressive at all when you consider I can channel lightning."

Annie nodded while speaking deliberately, "Ooohh, that actually makes so much sense." She gave Thor a half-smile, "That's also a great party trick." Thor frowned in confusion and now Annie gave him a full smile, "One day I'll show you what that means." She looked back down at Loki, his eyes were half-open, he seemed much calmer. At least her shirt was no longer in danger of having a hole worn into it. His fingers had gone back to softly and slowly feeling the fabric.

Thor stared at Annie with a calculating expression that matched his thoughts, his hands gripping his arms as they flexed. He still felt the need to do something active, he had been still far longer than he was accustomed to. He needed to solve this problem that he and Loki found themselves in. He made a decision and pushed away from the counter to walk over to the living area to pronounce, "I need to return to Stark to learn if he has been able to convince the mage to remove the collar."

Annie looked up at Thor, her surprise and concern on her face and in her voice, "What? You want to leave?" Her arms tightened reflexively around Loki. "Now?"

"Tonight. Once it becomes dark." The forming of a plan made some of the tension ease in his muscles. "You are able to care for Loki, yes?" He felt energized, his mind was already feeling clearer. 

Annie appeared at a loss for words as her mouth opened and closed several times. She looked down at Loki and let his green eyes as he looked up at her. Despite growing weariness in his face, he was also paying attention to their conversation. Those eyes held a guarded concern in them now, he wanted to know how she would answer Thor. He needed to know.

Annie met Thor's questioning gaze and firmly stated, "Of course I can take care of him." At his relieved expression, she added, "Let's get dinner served first then we can work out the details while we eat." Leaning back she spoke to Loki, "I need to have you go to Thor for a little while, okay?" She felt the little hands press their fingers into her flesh for a moment before he sat up and turned towards Thor.

Seeing his brother hold out his arms to be picked up Thor gently lifted him from Annie's lap, snugging Loki to his chest. The boy laid his head against Thor's shoulder but kept his eyes on Annie as she got up to head to the kitchen. When Thor sat in his chair, Loki turned his head to be able to continue to watch Annie as she prepared their meal.

In the kitchen, Annie was trying her best to keep her thoughts from scattering like marbles dropped on the floor. As she sliced a loaf of French bread, buttering each slice, she went over what she had just agreed to. Thor obviously trusted her enough to leave Loki with her but did she trust herself enough to feel that she was enough for him? The truth was they hardly knew each other, had known each other for only a couple of days. Intense, intimate days but still. Nothing like his relationship with Thor. She made a plate for herself, roast beef, potatoes, and carrots then made a smaller plate for Loki. Making sure to cut everything into smaller than bite-sized pieces she also prepared his cup with milk. Not only Thor was concerning her but also Loki. Did he trust her enough to feel safe with her while Thor was gone? He had preferred to stay in her arms rather than go to Thor when he had the nightmare but that could just be his reaction at that moment. Who knew how he felt now that he was calm. 

Thor watched Annie as she moved about in the kitchen, preparing their meal. His mind wandered to the times he and Loki had slipped into the kitchens to beg something from the staff. Frigga had instilled in them the fact that the kitchens were busy at all hours and if they were hungry they could eat fruit. There were enough bowls of fruit throughout the palace that they wouldn't starve. It never stopped them from going to the kitchens to find something more hearty. With hundreds of people residing in the palace, all requesting something during mealtimes, they never went away hungry. Now that Thor could see the effort it took to prepare a meal he appreciated the staff that had taken the time to prepare them a plate. Even that simple task had taken them from their assigned work. He made a vague promise to himself to go and thank them.

Annie brought her plate and Loki's bowl over to the coffee table and set them down, holding his drink in her elbow against her body. She went back and grabbed the entire pan with the pot roast in it and set that in front of Thor, there was no point in dishing up a plate for him when he could eat the whole thing. Going back for silverware she also turned off and unplugged the crockpot before returning with the bread. She dropped down into her chair while still trying to figure out if she had given the correct answer.

It was silent when Annie looked over at Thor who was intently studying her as he rubbed gentle circles on Loki's back. There was the same look in Loki's eyes though not as intent, he still was holding back from showing his thoughts on his face. Annie wondered if that need to protect himself had been learned in the dungeons or before. She sighed. What the hell was she doing excepting responsibility for an alien child?

"Hey, buddy? You ready for dinner?" She made the effort to give him a real smile, there was no reason to let him know her own thoughts. Well, look at you. Doing the same thing. Hiding your real feelings behind a fake face.

It was the shudder going through Loki's body that caught Thor's attention, but the shake of the small head was what caused him to frown. "Brother? You must eat, Lady Annie has prepared a wonderful meal for us."

Loki gave a negative jerk of his head and hid his face in Thor's chest, pressing against him tightly. His hands had been loosely gripping Thor's hoodie, now they tensed to grip the fabric tighter.

The frown on Thor's face grew and he glanced at Annie to see the same expression. She met his eyes then held her arms out, offering to take Loki. "Brother? Would you like to go sit with Lady Annie?"

The small head shifted so Loki could look at Annie, seeing her outstretched arms he shifted his body to lean towards her. He nodded his head as he did, holding his own arms out to her.

Thor helped move him to Annie's lap, sitting back down once he let go. Something inside him felt sorrow at how easily Loki left him, with no hesitation. He told himself to be well pleased that Loki was growing closer to Annie, after all, his own plan was to leave him with her. Tonight and perhaps again. Yet he still felt a loss in his heart.

Annie pointed to Loki's bowl and took it from Thor's hand, "His drink too." Holding the cup with the straw out to him she asked, "You want a drink?"

Loki took the cup from Annie and quickly began drinking. His lips worked at the straw as he took one swallow after another until he was forced to stop long enough to take in a gasping breath before starting again.

Annie glanced at Thor with raised eyebrows. When she spoke it was with self-condemnation, "Oh bud, I'm so sorry. I should have gotten you something to drink as soon as we got home." Once Loki was slurping at the bottom she asked, "Do you want more?" Still sucking on the straw even though the cup was empty Loki nodded his head and only stopped when Annie gently prised it from his fingers. She held it out to Thor who jumped to his feet to refill it. "How about you eat something while Thor gets you more, huh?" She shook the bowl with his food in it and brought it closer to his hands. "I'll hold it for you."

Loki stared down at the bowl, his fingers on both hands coming together to slowly twist around each other. He stared down at the food without making a move to take any but when Thor came back with the full cup he held his hands out to take it from him. This time when he drank he was slower and breathed in between every few sips. He stopped drinking when there was a little less than half left but still made no move to eat.

Annie shook the bowl again, "Ready for a bite?"

Loki continued to stare at the food while the index finger on one hand scratched at the smooth plastic of the cup. The silence continued until Loki shook his head.

Annie frowned. "No? You don't want any?"

Again Loki shook his head. His finger starting to tap against the cup.

"How about a bite of the potatoes? You liked the french fries, it's kind of the same thing." Liar. French fries are nothing like potatoes from a pot roast.

Again the little head moved in the negative, the finger still tapping against the cup.

She looked up at Thor for guidance but got nothing from him except a puzzled look with a shrug. "What about Cheerios? I have the sweet kind. Do you want to try some of those?"

Again a jerky shake of his head was her only answer. His finger tapped harder against the cup as he bent his head lower to take the straw between his lips to take another sip of the milk. After he swallowed he kept the straw in his mouth, poking at it with his tongue while his finger continued the tapping.

"Okay, maybe in a little bit." Annie looked at Thor with a shrug, "Probably shouldn't have let him drink all of his milk first. But I also shouldn't have let him get so thirsty." She leaned over to get a better angle to look into Loki's face. He kept his head down but his eyes raised slightly to look at her before quickly moving away. "He's gotta still be dehydrated." She looked at Thor again, "Hey, go ahead and eat before it gets cold."

The quiet god looked troubled as he studied his brother until Annie spoke and he gave her his attention along with a wry twist of his lips. He reached for her plate and handed it to her. "I will only if you will join me."

Before taking her plate she adjusted Loki on her lap so his back was resting against the padded chair arm. Taking her plate she asked him, "Can I set my plate on your legs?" Loki raised his eyes to look at her then gave a jerking nod, he still had the straw in his mouth, taking small sips occasionally. "Thanks, buddy." She set the plate on his legs, "You make a perfect table." She had earlier cut her food so now she took her fork and pushed it to one side, making space on her plate. "How about I put your food on my plate? That way you can pick it up if you want a bite, yeah?" She waited but he gave no indication of his preference beyond a pause in his finger tapping for a beat before picking back up his slow rhythm.

Thor had picked up the roast pan and set it on his lap, he had a large carving knife along with a normal-sized fork. Now he paused in his cutting to again look at his brother with a concerned expression. "You should eat, Loki." There was a compelling tone that threaded through his words.

There was a quick shake of Loki's head as a slight frown appeared on his face. The finger tapping sped up while growing slightly louder.

Annie went ahead and tipped the bowl, dumping the food onto the space she had made. "Well if you change your mind go ahead and grab something." She made her voice casual. Picking up her fork she started eating, instantly becoming aware of Loki raising his head just enough to watch her fork go from the plate to her mouth. When she had taken the bite he watched as the fork returned to the plate. He watched her take each bite after that.

From his seat, Thor could watch Loki's as those green eyes followed Annie's fork. He didn't think Loki wanted Annie's food, he had refused the same as what she was eating. The only other thing Loki could be watching was the fork. Thor swallowed a mouthful of roast then paused before attentively asking, "Loki, do you wish for your own fork?"

Loki's head turned swiftly to look at Thor, his eyes were wide as he shook his head several times. He was adamant that he didn't want a fork of his own even as his head turned to look back at the fork that had paused halfway to Annie's mouth. Loki swallowed, his finger had stopped its tapping and now his hands clutched the cup tightly.

Carefully Annie asked, "Do you want a spoon?"

Now there was the beginning of fear showing on his face, again he shook his head, though this time it looked like more of a tremor than something he controlled. His breathing rate increased and he swallowed again. His head gave a single involuntary shake.

"Okay, no fork, no spoon. It's okay. No one is going to force you." Annie had no idea why the mention of a fork or spoon caused such a fearful reaction in Loki but she wasn't going to push the issue. "Matter of fact-" She set her fork down and picked up a piece of meat and ate it from her fingers. 

Loki watched this and his eyes grew large. He watched her lick her fingers then give him a conspiratorial grin and wink.

"How about them apples?" She waggled her eyebrows and picked up one of the larger pieces of potato. It was a little harder to hang on to but she got it into her mouth.

Thor gave a huff of a laugh which caused Loki to turn his head to see Thor give him his own wink. Cutting off a large piece of meat Thor spoke before shoving it into his mouth, "Like eating on a hunt, yes, Brother?"

Annie grasped at any kind of conversation that would relieve some of the previous tension. "Oh, so no manners allowed on hunting trips?"

"Plates and knives only, we mainly ate what we hunted so it was only meat. And bread." He tore a piece of French bread in half but didn't eat it, instead, his smile slipped slightly. "Though Loki was known to bring out his own fork if he wished to annoy our friends. Sif and the Warriors Three." Thor's thoughts slipped back to Annie's declaration that they hadn't really been Loki's friends. Now he wondered if Loki actually did it to annoy them all or if they had simply been annoyed at Loki's normal fastidiousness. At mealtime in the palace, Loki was known as a precise eater. Which also garnered him teasing from his tablemates. Now Thor wondered if that was just another reason Loki chose so often to eat in his rooms rather than a desire to be alone.

The drop in Thor's humor was obvious as something seemed to catch his thoughts. Annie refused to let dinner pass in silence. "So how soon will you be leaving to go to The City?"

Thor glanced over his shoulder to the French doors, "It's dark now, I suppose I can leave at any time. I will admit I do not know how long the drive will take, however. Perhaps you should expect me back tomorrow? I also do not know how long it will take to contact the mage and find out-"

Annie held up a finger and Thor abruptly stopped speaking while raising an eyebrow questioningly. "Hold on. Back the bus up." Thor tilted his head as he frowned in confusion but he never had the chance to ask what bus Annie was referring to because she asked her own question. "Drive?" There was something in her stare that made a ripple of unease go through Thor. "As in drive a car?"

"Yes?" Thor wasn't sure what else he could be referring to driving. His eyes darted to Loki as if requesting Loki's insight. His brother was maddeningly only looking at him with faint curiosity as if he too were wondering what Thor could have possibly done.

"A car? As in you have a car?" Annie's finger had been still up in the air, now she pointed it accusingly.

Again Thor was uncertain in how he should answer. "Yes?"

Annie closed her eyes for just a moment and when she opened them she found herself staring into Loki's curious eyes. She looked to Thor then spoke slowly and carefully, "Are you telling me that you have access to a car and have had access to a car. All. Day?"

"Yes." Thor decided to sound certain on this question though he felt that no matter his answer he had still done something wrong.

"As in we could have driven a car to Wal-Mart?"

Thor paused, he didn't know what else to say other than the truth. "Yes."

"Driven a car that we could have loaded up with all those bags rather than hauling everything home in a wagon and a shopping cart?"

"Ah. I see." Thor didn't see. He was guessing that Annie would have preferred to take a car rather than the shopping cart though Thor couldn't truthfully see the dilemma. Other than the time spent walking, was there truly a difference? He decided he had best appear to understand, that usually worked with his mother. Though not with Loki. Never with him.

"Yes! We could have taken your car!" Annie shook her head with a long-suffering sigh, "Speaking of, where is it? I didn't notice a strange car in the parking lot or at the curb."

"I parked a short distance away and walked here." Thor went back to eating now that he had satisfied Annie's questions.

Annie looked at Loki with a bemused expression. "Your brother is something else, huh? He had a car all along."

Thor grinned, "Do not fear, I will return the shopping cart before leaving. You will have no quarrel with your friend."

Annie rolled her eyes, "yeah, I'm not scared of Sherise." Annie popped a bite of roast into her mouth, watching Loki with a sideways glance. He was watching her eat with her fingers with something close to bewilderment on his face. His finger had yet to resume its tapping. She noticed Thor's raised eyebrow and rolled her eyes again, "Okay, it would be good to get the cart back. It doesn't exactly go with the decor."

Again Thor wore a slightly perplexed expression but he didn't ask for clarification, just used his fingers to continue eating. After swallowing a rather large bite he asked, "You will be comfortable attending Loki overnight?"

"Sure, it'll be like our own little slumber party, right?" Loki was staring at Annie with the same level of bewilderment as before, he had the same level of understanding as Thor. Annie grinned at them both, "A slumber party is where a bunch of kids, mainly girls, all get together for an overnight party. They wear pajamas, usually toss pillows and blankets on the floor, and spend the night trying to not fall asleep while doing silly things."

Thor nodded as if he understood, "Ah, so a party to stay awake all night is called a-" He frowned, "Slumber party? Even though the goal is to not actually, slumber?"

"Yep." Annie held back a chuckle at Thor's thoughtful look of confusion. She looked at Loki, "We'll be fine, right?" Loki looked at her steadily for a long moment before he gave a single, sharp nod. Annie sighed, "See? We'll be fine." 

Thor watched Annie run her free hand over Loki's back in small circles, he didn't think she was even aware she was doing it. His conviction that she was the right person to care for Loki came out in a blurted sentence. "I want to give Loki to you."

Annie stared at Thor with her face frozen in something close to shock. They sat in silence for several long beats before she asked in a nearly wheezing voice, "You want to what?!"

Thor didn't back down, "Give Loki to you. To care for." He looked from Loki back to Annie, "I want you to guide his care." He added at her continued look of confusion, "You already have grown to cherish him. You provide nourishment and it's obvious you can understand him despite the fact he does not speak." Thor spoke compellingly, "It is clear that you are the more competent of us to be his keeper."

Annie had started shaking her head as he was finishing presenting his reasonings, "You can't just give one person to another person."

Thor frowned, "Why not? He is mine to give."

Annie opened and closed her mouth several times. Hells. Bells. How do I explain this? Annie finally got her mouth, thoughts, and ability to speak all working at the same time, "Because he's not a, a pet." 

Thor nodded. "Of course not. He's much more important than an animal. He's my Brother. And I need to make sure he's taken care of. I just do not think I am the person able to provide the best care for him." He gave Annie an encouraging smile, "I believe that person is you." He took another bite of his nearly gone roast, looking satisfied and as if the conversation was over.

"No, no, hang on here." Annie looked at Loki, he was studying her, there was something in his expression that was clearly waiting to hear what she was going to say. Annie swallowed tightly, she could see that whatever she was about to say would be incredibly important to Loki's mental health. She felt something close to terror sweep over her and she shivered. She could screw this entirely up. She met Thor's blue eyes, "I think we will need to finish this conversation when you get back. Without little ears listening in."

Thor gave a pleased smile, he knew what her answer would be. And he had secured Loki a guardian who would fight for his Brother just as valiantly as he would. Possibly even more. "As you wish."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really curious what you think about this chapter.  
> Does it give you an idea of what the future will hold?  
> Does it answer questions? Raise questions?  
> I tried to do all those things however would love feedback on how you think I did. No wrong answers since everyone will understand something unique to them.

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think of this chapter? Do you think the Avenger characters are realistic? Is there anything that you think they just wouldn't have done or said?
> 
> Let me know what you think of Annie. I'm working keeping her consistent from chapter to chapter.
> 
> DayWriter106


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